Tokyo Knights
by MASC
Summary: Sequel to The Next Crusade. Now that she's a celebrity, can Sakura save the world AND avoid the press? Is Li thinking of marrying her? Will Eriol & Tomoyo ever get together? All these questions and more leading up to a very shocking ending. COMPLETE.
1. Life As A Celebrity

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: You have no idea how pleased I was to learn that my 1st fic in over 2 years was such a success. Your reviews really helped me pull through to the end so I just wanna say thanks! _:D _Now enough of that human emotional blah blah and let's get back on track! We're going to pick up after The Next Crusade (So if you haven't read it yet, now might be a good time to do so) and the whole Eriol/Tomoyo thing will be resolved. But worry not! Sakura & Syaoran will still be the center of attention as I concoct some even more cutesy moments for them to endure! Enjoy!_**

**_DISCLAIMER: Disclaim? I have something to disclaim. Yo' mama's a ho bag! Ooh! Burn! Wait, wait. I'm sorry. You corporate types really chap my buttocks so forgive me for being a little "German". Wait! I'm sorry. I have nothing against German people. Just corporate types. Oh, screw it. I DO NOT OWN CCS or any related character. CLAMP does. In fact, they should think about reviving the series and---_**

_**GET ON WITH THE MOTHER--KING STORY, ALREADY!!! **_

**CARD CAPTOR SAKURA: TOKYO KNIGHTS**

CHAPTER ONE

It had been three months since the battle with Faust and his army of darkness and still, Sakura and her friends had another problem to deal with. The media. Ever since the live television coverage of their heroic efforts, Sakura, Li and Tomoyo were constantly being followed around by more cameras, tabloid reporters and sleazy movie agents. And what's worse, the whole ordeal was starting to put a crimp on Sakura and Li's relationship just when it was getting good. Oh, those bastards! It makes me mad!

Our story begins one night while Sakura was on the phone talking to Li, who was currently in Hong Kong visiting his family for the weekend. As always, poor little Kero was stuck in the room, listening in on their lovey-dovey conversation.

"I miss you." Li said over the phone, causing Sakura to blush intensely.

"I miss you too." She responded. "When are you coming back?"

"Tomorrow."

"I'll be waiting. Just don't make me wait _too_ long." She joked.

Kero was in his cubbyhole, rolling around and smothering his face with a pillow. "Why do they do this to me!?" He growled. "God, I liked 'em better when they used to bicker!"

"I love you, too" Sakura said as she hung up the phone. She then noticed Kero slamming his head against the wall. "Hey, what's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing..." Kero said in a daze. "Just go back to your..." He then groaned. "Oh, is the room spinning or is it just me?" The doll then fell back unconscious as Sakura giggled.

"Oh, Kero..." She said as she turned off the light and got into bed. Just then, several flashes of light illuminated the room, much to Sakura's disgust.

"Oh, not again." She said as she got up and opened her window, revealing a photographer hiding out in the tree.

"Sakura! Sakura!" The photographer called out to the girl. "Can you look this way, please?"

"No, I don't think so." She said as she took out a card. "Fire!" She called out as her body became engulfed in flames.

The photographer panicked from Sakura's fiery form and fell out of the tree, breaking his camera in the process. The man ran away into the street as a car almost hit him.

"Watch where you're going, jackass!" The driver called out to him.

As Sakura returned back to normal, she noticed several other photographers climbing down the tree and running away from the house, scared of what the girl might do to them.

"That kid's crazy, man!" One of the men shouted.

"Holy damn, did you see that!?" Said another.

She looked down and sighed. "Sometimes I wonder why those idiots like ruining people's lives."

The next morning, Sakura and Touya were sitting in the living room, disgusted by what they were watching on the television. Sakura shook her head as Touya's jaw dropped from total shock.

A Saturday morning cartoon had been made in Sakura's likeness and all her friends were depicted in the show as well. _"And now! We return to Silly Sakura & Friends!"_ The television announcer said.

"Remind me why I let them do this?" Sakura asked her brother.

"They... I didn't..." Touya was still at a loss for words. "It's so creepy."

The TV screen displayed chibi versions of Sakura, Li and Tomoyo in a park building some kind of clubhouse. Sakura was hammering a nail on a wooden board while Tomoyo and Li were sawing a piece of lumber in half. When the saw got stuck on Tomoyo's end, the young girl started to pull it out but managed to whack Sakura in the face with it in the process.

"Hey, what's the big idea!?" The cartoon Sakura said in a gruff voice.

"Oh, I'm sorry Sakura!" The chibi Tomoyo said in a high-pitched whine. "It was an accident!"

"Oh yeah?" The animated Sakura grabbed Tomoyo by the hair and slapped her in the face. "So was that!"

The animated Li then approached the two girls and in a nasally drone said, "Hey, I need some help over here!"

"Oh so you want some help, eh?" Sakura asked as she grabbed the hammer. "Help yourself!" She then whacked the boy over the head as a funny dinging sound was made.

"Now listen up, you morons!" The chibi Sakura commanded as her counterparts obeyed. "The kids will be here in a few hours and it's up to us to build 'em their clubhouse! Understand?"

"Yes, Sakura sir!" The two saluted and accidentally whacked her in the head.

"You numbskulls!" Chibi Sakura the grabbed the two by the hair and led them along the way then kicked them in the rear. "Get to work!"

The real Sakura turned the TV off and sighed. "What ever happened to the qualities of decent, moral family television?"

Just then, the doorbell rang. Tomoyo walked in with a nervous smile on her face and sat down next to her friend. "I don't suppose you--"

"I saw it." Sakura interrupted.

"Oh. It's not so bad, really."

"Not so bad? They made us look like the 3--"

"Don't even say it, Sakura."

"Sorry." Tomoyo then thought for a second. "I have to admit, though. They _really_ captured your eyes!"

¬¬¬¬¬ TOWA UNIVERSITY ¬¬¬¬¬

Professor Kinomoto was facing hundreds of college students in a large room as he stood at a podium, demonstrating a slideshow. He was explaining the origins of different artifacts found around the world and how they were used in several cultures. As the students either took notes or closely listened, a man in a black suit and tie stood at the back of the room and gazed at his watch.

"The Mayans used thick logs as clubs to literally crush their enemies. Not stab them." Fujitaka said in the middle of his lecture. "Weapons were needed in warfare unless you were using your bare fists."

He then moved to a slide of ancient Chinese artifacts and continued with his presentation. "Recently, highly refined stone age tools discovered in China disproved an old theory that ancient people in East Asia were less accomplished at making stone cutting tools than early humans in Africa and the Middle East. The tools were found to be around 803,000 years old, give or take a few 3,000."

The bell suddenly rang, ending the lecture short. As the students left, their teacher called out to them. "Your evaluations are due next week! Don't forget!"

The man in the black suit waited for the students to leave then slowly approached the professor. "I see you're still playing around in the dirt, looking for old toys." He said.

"Christopher Lorca." Fujitaka recognized the man's short black hair and neatly trimmed beard. "What are you doing back here? I thought you and the boys at Tokyo Tech were getting along just great."

The 34 year old chuckled. "Oh, we are. I just thought I'd stop by and say hello to an old friend."

"After 15 years?"

"Has it been that long?"

After an awkward silence, the two gave in to laughter and hugged each other like old friends normally do after a long absence.

"How are you, you old gravedigger?" Lorca jokingly asked.

"Oh, I'm fine. How's your wife?"

The Spaniard gave off a wincing look. "Ooh, we're divorced. Three years now to be exact."

Fujitaka shook his head. "Sorry to hear that."

"Yes. Well not as sorry as I was to hear about Nadeshiko." The man placed a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder. "She was a good woman."

"Thank you." Fujitaka then decided to change the subject. "So what brings you back to Tomoeda?"

The man in black tossed a newspaper on the table, featuring a picture of Sakura on the front page. "She looks a lot like her father, don't you think?" He said.

"Sakura?" The girl's father was puzzled. "What about her?"

"Hiroshi Kanaye is holding an annual festival next weekend and he'd like Sakura to be the guest of honor."

"Hiroshi Kanaye? Head of Kanaye Industries?" The professor asked.

"The same. Your daughter's actions on Alcatraz inspired many. Sakura has given not only Tomoeda a glimpse of hope and prosperity for the future, but the entire world as well. Sakura represents everything that the Kibou Festival stands for."

"Okay but why did they send _you_?"

"I'm a close friend of Kanaye's. I took it upon myself as a personal favor to him and try to convince Sakura to make an appearance. Do you think she'll come?"

Fujitaka shrugged. "I... I don't know."

¬¬¬¬¬ TWIN BELLS GIFT SHOP ¬¬¬¬¬

Three men armed with guns were busy ransacking the place, stealing seemingly valuable merchandise and cash from the register. Maki stood behind her counter and was held at gunpoint by one of the men. The woman, however, seemed rather bored than afraid as she slowly turned the pages on a magazine she was reading.

"Oh no. Please. Take everything." She said in a very slow, unconcerned voice.

"Believe me, lady. That's we're planning on doing!" One of the men said.

"I got the cash." Said another.

The ringleader nodded at his cohorts. "All right, let's get the hell out of here." He then pointed the gun back at Maki and cocked it. "Sorry, lady. Can't have any witnesses lying around."

"You don't have the balls." Maki dared the man. "C'mon. Bust a cap in my ass!"

"What?" The man was confused.

"C'mon, Cletus! C'mon! You bad! Shoot me!" She started teasing.

"Cletus? Who the fu--"

"C'mon, Cletus! Shoot me! You want my blood!? Take my blood!"

"All right, that's it!" As the man pulled the trigger, the bullet shot straight towards Maki but immediately bounced away in midair with a bright spark. The three men then turned their heads to see Sakura emitting a powerful glow from her hands. The Shot card was fused with its master as she grinned at the criminals.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Did I interrupt something?" Sakura teased.

Knowing that Sakura could easily take them out, the three men dropped their weapons and raised up their arms in defeat. "Don't shoot." One of the criminals said.

"Okay. I won't shoot. But only if you kiss him."

"What!?" The man screamed.

"Go on." Sakura started to giggle. "Give him a smooch right on the lips! Either one of them, I don't care. You're all going to take turns anyway. A big wet one, though. Not one of those wimpy little chicken pecks."

"I'm not gonna kiss him!"

A warning blast shot past the man's ear, almost burning it. "How 'bout now?"

Moments later, after the police arrived and took the humiliated men away, Sakura turned to Maki with a concerned look. "Are you all right?" She asked.

"Me? I'm fine. I knew you'd show up sooner or later." She smiled.

"Really?"

"No! I thought I was dead!" Maki then hugged the young girl. "Thank you! Thank you!"

¬¬¬¬¬ ELSEWHERE... ¬¬¬¬¬

At an excavation site somewhere in Tomoeda, archaeologists were digging around Faust's old tomb when one of the scientists noticed a shining object hidden in the dirt. He dropped his pickaxe and reached for the shiny blue gem when he noticed it was slipped around a bony finger.

"Over here! I found something!" The man gasped as he called out to his crew.

In an instant, the scientists gathered around and slowly dug out the remains of what appeared to be a fallen warrior. His large bony structure and tattered bits of clothing were still well in place and the blue gem on his finger was part of a ring as old as him.

"Amazing..." The head scientist said as they continued digging around the body.

Moments later, another archaeologist dusted off what appeared to be a sword with a Latin scripture running along the blade. The sword was held firmly in the dead man's hand and seemed impossible to pry loose.

"Careful with that. We don't want to ruin anything." The scientist said.

"What does the scripture say on the blade?" Asked one of the workers.

The head archaeologist adjusted his glasses and carefully gazed at the scripture. "It's in Latin."

"Yeah but what does it say?"

"It says... _Filhos de obscurum desperte . Cubo quicumque foi captus. Nisi vestri rabies. Nisi vestri vires. Exsisto existo quondam iterum. Everto Miles militis._" The man paused for a moment, a bit disturbed.

"What does it mean?"

"It means--"

The man was interrupted by a low, raspy voice that suddenly filled the air. "_Sons of darkness reawaken. Reclaim all that has been taken. Unleash your fury. Unleash your might. Arise once again. Demon Knight."_

"Hey! That was pretty good, boss!" One of the scientists chuckled.

"That wasn't me, you idiot!" The man snapped.

The air crew cold as the blue gem started to glow. The scientists backed away and watched as the skeleton arose from the ground and became engulfed in blue flames. Suddenly, a layer of ancient Oriental clothing magically surrounded the creature as he slowly raised his sword and pointed it at the humans.

"Die..." He said in a slow, raspy voice.

The skeletal being lashed its sword against the scared scientists and killed them off one by one, leaving behind a trail of blood near the old tomb. He placed his sword back into the holster and looked up into the sky as a bolt of lightning flashed. In a matter of seconds, a skeletal horse descended from above and snorted out a blue flame from its gaping nostrils.

"To find the others..." He rasped again as he climbed aboard the dead horse with ease. After a few whips, the two beings shot straight into the sky and began their search for their missing comrades. Oh, shit. Here they go again...


	2. New Changes, Old Faces

CHAPTER TWO

Li walked along the hallways of his childhood home and stopped to look at some of the pictures that were hanging on the wall. He saw his sisters standing around a younger version of himself with an overzealous Meiling clinging to his side. Pictures of old relatives unknown to the boy made him think for a moment.

"Wow..." He said aloud. "Old people are boring."

"Hi, Li!" A familiar voice called, startling the boy.

"Meiling! Damn it, girl! What the hell's wrong with you!?"

The young girl giggled for moment. "Sorry. I know how much you hate that."

"Where's mother? Have you seen her?"

"I think I saw her in the temple."

"Which one? We only have like about a _billion_ of 'em." The boy sarcastically said.

Out in the courtyard, Li's mother stood in front of a shrine and lighted candles on the display stand. As the wind blew and the moon shined, she could feel something in the air that was unsettling. Her son's oncoming presence, however, helped her to believe that all hope wouldn't be lost.

"Mother?" The boy started.

"Yes, my son?" She asked.

"I'm leaving tomorrow morning."

"Yes. I know." She finished lighting the last candle then faced her only son. "Back to Tomoeda."

Li nodded. "Back to Sakura."

"Is there something else you wanted to say?"

Li paused for a moment and really thought about it. "Actually..." He paused again. What he was about to tell her may shock not only the family but himself as well.

"Yes, my son. What is it?" The woman was now concerned.

"I want to marry Sakura." He said in a whisper.

"What?"

"I want to marry Sakura." He said again in a slightly louder tone.

"I can't hear you."

"I want to marry Sakura!" 

"Wait, hold on..." The woman then removed two earplugs from her lobes and placed them in her pockets. "Damn ear infection... I'm sorry, what were you trying to say?"

Li took a deep breath and repeated himself. "I want to marry Sakura."

Yelan gave the boy a deep stare for a few seconds then smiled. She walked down the steps of the shrine and wrapped her son in a hug. "I can see no other for you to spend the rest of your life with."

"Me neither." He smiled back.

"When are you going to tell her?"

"When I return tomorrow."

"I suppose I shouldn't arrange anything until her father is well aware of the situation."

He nodded. "I just don't know how her brother's going to react!"

Just then, the wind picked up speed and alarmed the two. Yelan could then feel the uneasiness surrounding her once again.

"What's wrong?" Li asked his mother, noticing her awkward glances around the area.

¬¬¬¬¬ TOMOEDA ¬¬¬¬¬

At the dinner table, Fujitaka brought up the subject of his old friend and his request of the young girl. Confused, Sakura leaned back on her chair and thought about it.

"_Me_?" She asked. "But why?"

"Well, you _are_ the official superhero of this town. It might be good to let the people know the real Sakura Kinomoto." Her father answered.

"Why bother?" Touya butted in. "All they need to know is what they print in the tabloids!" He then tossed a faulty tabloid magazine with Sakura's picture on the front. Sakura then picked up the magazine and flipped through a few pages, disgusted by what she read.

"What!? I do _not_ sleep with a hockey mask and chainsaw!" Furious, Sakura's magic accidentally tapped into the Fire card and caused the magazine to burst into flames.

"Hey! Do I smell something burning!?" Kero called out as he flew into the dining room, startling Fujitaka. "Whoa! Sorry there, pops! I didn't mean to scare you!"

"That's... that's okay, Kero." The man said as he caught his breath. "I'm still getting used to seeing a flying, talking doll that's really a fire breathing lion in disguise."

As the fire died out, Sakura sighed and put her hands over her face. "Oh, I wish Li would come home sooner."

A knock on the door sent Kero flying right back up the stairs and into Sakura's room. "Save me some pudding!" He called out.

"I'll answer it." Sakura volunteered as she got up from the table. Upon answering the door, she was surprised to see a familiar face smiling back at her. "Eriol!"

"Hello, Sakura." He said as they gave each other a hug. "It's good to see you again."

"You too." She then stepped outside and shut the door behind her. "What's going on? More end-of-the-world business?" She jokingly asked.

"Sorry, Sakura. Not this time, I'm afraid." He joked along. "No, I just wanted to say hello to my new neighbor is all."

"New neighbor?" 

Eriol then pointed across the street to a two-story house with a sign on the lawn that read: SOLD. Sakura gasped and hugged her friend again. 

"You're staying for good this time!?" She smiled.

"Yes." He chuckled.

"Does this have anything to do with... y'know. That thing we've been talking about these past few months?"

Eriol nodded. "Yes, it does. I'm no longer going to live in fear. After all. She's just a girl."

"Yeah, that's what you said about _me_ and look what happened! I kicked your ass _and_ broke your spell!" She nudged the boy and giggled. "Didn't I?"

He nodded and chuckled some more. "Yes, I suppose you're right."

"So is it just you or..."

"Nakuru, Spinel, Kaho. They'll all be here."

A distant boom interrupted the conversation for a moment as the two looked up at the night sky. They couldn't see anything unusual or sense any disturbance so they just shrugged it off and continued.

"I wonder what that was..." The blue-eyed boy scratched his head. "Anyway, I should get going."

"Okay. Stop by tomorrow after school and we'll talk some more."

"Okay. Good night, Sakura."

"Good night." Sakura waved goodbye to her friend and went back inside the house. She then ran upstairs to her room to tell Kero the good news.

¬¬¬¬¬

Elsewhere in the city, the mysterious blue-flamed rider rode its skeletal horse above the tall buildings and looked down on the busy streets. The creature growled as it rushed to the surface, zooming past onlookers and leaving behind small traces of blue fire.

Amongst the crowds of people, some of which were fleeing from the creature, was Yukito. The young man had just come out of a restaurant when he noticed the panic on the streets.

"Oh, God. Don't tell me. Trouble." He said to himself as he looked up and noticed the rider. "Uh-huh. I was right."

In an instant, the young man transformed into his alter-ego and chased after the flying menace. The ancient warrior noticed the winged angel coming towards him and unleashed his mighty sword.

"A Demon Knight?" A surprised Yue asked as he dodged the creature's swinging blade.

In an attempt to lure the specter away from the public, Yue unleashed a set of magic shards towards him and provoked a chase through the darker parts of the city. The trick seemed to work as the rider galloped after the moon guardian, following him through every turn of every building available.

Yue flapped his wings at a rapid pace, desperate to prevent any innocent bystanders from getting hurt. The guardian then made a sharp turn past an office building and swung underneath the towering tracks of the railway system with his opponent in hot pursuit.

The demon then managed to catch up to Yue and immediately grabbed him by the wings, hurling him against a nearby building. The wings crashing against the brick wall managed to cushion the impact for Yue but still left him in a bit of a daze. The rider then approached the guardian, stopping his horse in midair.

"How... How did you escape?" Yue demanded to know.

"Foolish humans." He responded in that same raspy voice. "They should know better to leave things alone." The demon raised its sword once again and charged for Yue but the guardian proved to be too fast for him.

Yue grabbed the warrior by the neck and hurled him across another building, crashing through glass and brick. Luckily the building was empty and there was no one to get in the way of the two's magic attacks. Yue picked up the weary fighter and noticed the blue flames starting to blaze out of control.

"This isn't the end, Yue. I _will _find them all." The demon's voice crackled as it vanished from Yue's grasp, leaving behind a small clump of soot all over his hand

"They have returned." Yue said to himself as he noticed the police arriving amongst the crowd. The guardian transformed back into his borrowed form and hurried on home to warn Sakura.

"Excuse me." Yuki said as he ran past the night janitor, almost bumping into him.

The custodian flipped on the light in the room and noticed the huge mess of rocks, broken glass and various office supplies scattered across the room.

The man readied his broom and dustpan and shook his head. "Man, ain't this a _bitch_!?"


	3. One Long Night

CHAPTER THREE

Yuki hurried into his car and drove off, managing to avoid the police and the crowds of people who had just witnessed the aerial battle. He sighed from relief and shook his head from disbelief.

"This isn't right." He said to himself when he noticed a strange blur forming from behind him.

He adjusted his rearview mirror then noticed the blue-flamed specter and his horse returning for another round.

"Oh, shit..." He said as he pressed on the gas and swerved along the back roads of the city. The Demon Knight lowered himself to the ground, galloping his horse alongside the vehicle then started to lash at it with his sword.

"Hey, man!" Yuki shouted. "I just got her out of the cleaners! That's not cool!"

Another swing and Yuki decided to hit the brakes, swirling around and heading the opposite direction. Down a dark alley, the blue flames were clearly visible as the chase continued without any sign of retreat.

The menacing horseman intensified his blue flames and created a wall of fire which raised from the ground and in front of the zooming vehicle. In a panic, Yuki hit the brakes too hard and jolted back and forth in his seat.

As the firewall vanished, the Demon Knight opened the driver's door and noticed the young man was unconscious. He growled then returned to his horse, riding away back into the night.

¬¬¬¬¬ HONG KONG ¬¬¬¬¬

The wind picked up its pace, causing the chimes to jingle louder than usual. The candles all around the shrine were starting to flicker and die out as Yelan kept her eyes closed, focusing her magic.

"Mom, what's going on!?" Li asked as his sisters approached the courtyard with Meiling right behind them.

Yelan opened her eyes, which gave off an eerie bright light and startled her family. Li slowly approached his mother and tried to break her out of the trance.

"Mother?" He snapped his fingers. "Mother? Mom? Mommy? Mum? Mummy? Mamma?"

"Li, I think you should step back!" One of his sisters called out to him.

Li shook his head. "No! Something's not right!"

Just then, Yelan started to growl in a deep voice as the wind got even stronger. _"Demon's might is the Demon Knight. Fear the cost of sin and vice. On the darkest day lies a sacrifice."_

A distant boom thundered in the sky as a red haze glowed in the night. As the wind died down, Yelan returned to her normal self and faced her family. "I..." She started. "I fear the worst is about to happen."

"What was it, mother?" One of her daughters asked.

"It was something I didn't expect to see or hear from." She started to breathe heavily. "Something horrible."

Li chuckled nervously and clapped his hands, trying to lighten the mood. "Well, what say we go back inside and call it a night? I need to get my rest! I've got a long flight tomorrow!"

"Syaoran." The woman's voice stopped the boy in his tracks.

"Oh, damn." He said to himself, knowing things were about to get worse. "Yes, mother?"

"Do you recall the temple of Xiang Zhou?"

"...Vaguely." He answered through his teeth, expecting something bad.

"Do you remember how to get there?"

"Oh, ma!" 

"Do you remember?" 

Li hesitated then nodded. "...Yes."

"I need you to summon the Dragon Boat and head to the temple at once."

Li looked down and sighed. "May I ask why?"

"Listen to me, son. It is of great importance that you head over to the temple and retrieve the red gem placed in the Heart of Gold."

"Red gem? What red gem?"

"I have no time to explain. You and Meiling head over to the fields across the lake and summon the Dragon Boat."

Li was now losing patience. "Okay, wait a minute!"

Just then, the blue-flamed specter appeared from the clouds and charged into the courtyard. Yelan unleashed a sword hidden in her sash and pulled out a magic slip, preparing to do battle with the creature.

"The gem..." The warrior rasped. "Give it to me."

"Never." The woman unleashed an electrical attack and kept the creature busy as she commanded her son. "You must go! Now!"

"I'm not going to leave you here!" Li pleaded.

The boy's sisters then armed themselves and rushed him and Meiling away from the area as they prepared to assist their mother. "Go on! We'll take care of this! Just go get that gem!" One of the girls ordered.

"Li, c'mon!" Meilng grabbed the boy by his arm and ran off.

The demon warrior redirected the electrical current and took out his blade as the blue flames started to regain movement. "If you refuse, then you will die."

"Then we die in battle." Yelan said as she raised her weapon and called out to her daughters. "Do not let him escape!"

¬¬¬¬¬ TOMOEDA ¬¬¬¬¬

Sakura paced back and forth in her room, telephone in hand. She had tried calling Li for hours now but no one had picked up. Kero was getting weary from watching her do all that walking and dialing.

"Ease up, will you?" Kero begged. "I'm sure everything's fine. He's probably busy with all those relatives of his."

"I guess so." She sat down on her bed and sighed. "I can't wait to see him tomorrow." Her face was now getting red with anticipation.

"So have you decided yet?" Kero asked the young girl.

"About what?"

"If you're going to show up at the Kibou Festival this weekend."

"Oh." She hadn't really thought about it since dinner. "I guess it wouldn't hurt."

Sakura then heard a door close from outside. She looked out her window and saw her brother driving off into the distance. Kero flew over to the window and looked out as well, confused by Touya's actions.

"What does he do at night?" The doll asked. "You notice he's been going out at night for the last few months and doesn't tell us where he's been.?"

Sakura nodded. "I guess he has his reasons not to tell us."

Suddenly, the Sweet spirit escaped from its card and rummaged through Kero's cubbyhole. "Beans!" It wailed.

"Oh, not again!" Kero whined.

"I ran out of beans!"


	4. Setting The Course

CHAPTER FOUR

Li and Meiling stood out in a field across the lake, looking for the Dragon Boat that would take them to the temple of Xiang Zhou. They were a great distance away from the danger that had befallen Li's family so they were safe for the moment. An uneasy feeling of guilt and fear ran through the boy's body but he knew he had to leave them behind and carry out his mother's order.

Meiling was growing impatient as she stomped her foot and turned to her cousin. "I don't see any boat!" She noticed Li had his eyes closed and tried to get his attention. "Hey! Don't you be sleeping while standing up! We've got a job to do!"

After a few moments Li opened his eyes and pointed across the lake, which began to fog. Meiling couldn't believe her eyes as she saw an enormous wooden boat appear from the foggy mist. Its dragon-like structure and gleaming red eyes made it easy to spot in the blurry lake while its wing fins gently caressed through the body of water.

"Wow..." Meiling said in awe. "But... how? Li, did _you_ do that?"

The boy nodded. "Everything I know, ma taught me." He then slipped on his pack and headed for the boat, signaling Meiling to follow. "Let's go."

"Where are we going, exactly?" She asked as Li helped her in.

"The temple of Xiang Zhou! Weren't you listening!?"

"Yeah, but _where_ exactly?"

"We're about to find out."

As the two were seated, the boat's red eyes glowed even brighter and slowly made its turn onto the steady current. Its magical prowess allowed it to take its passengers back to where it came from without them rowing or pedaling. The boat did all the work.

"You know, I should tell you something." Meiling started as she looked down on the water.

"What is it?" Li asked as he laid back on the seat.

"I get seasick very easily!"

"I know. That's why I brought this." He tossed a folded up paper bag over to Meiling and chuckled. "That should keep you busy for a while."

"Oh, thanks..." She said dryly. "This has been one long night, hasn't it?"

"Yes." Li nodded as he looked up at the starry sky. "Forgive me, Sakura." He whispered to himself.

¬¬¬¬¬

In the courtyard, Yelan and her four daughters were scattered throughout the floor as the flaming creature continued wrecking everything in sight. Shiefa, one of Li's sisters, slowly lifted her head up to see the eerie blue warrior walking past her, rummaging through the wreckage of what used to be part of the temple.

The young woman pointed her weapon out and aimed at the specter. "Lightning!" She cried.

A stream of lightning shot towards the demonic being but he simply raised his hand and absorbed the energy, sending it back to the girl. Shiefa was thrown back against a brick wall as it collapsed on her.

"Stupid girl." The demon hissed. He then noticed Yelan slowly crawling away, her face scratched up and body badly bruised.

The demon then levitated the mother with his magic and brought her towards him. "I'll ask again, woman. Where is the red gem?"

Yelan stared deep into the skull's gaping eyes as the blue flames flickered slowly. "I will _never_ tell you." She told him. "There is a magic force out there who will personally see the downfall of you and your kind. I don't know how you were released but I swear to you. Whoever you're working for, Sakura Kinomoto and my son will track him down and make him suffer."

The demon hissed. "You fool..."

"Mark my words. You'll discover a new meaning of pain."

"Fine." The demon growled as he grabbed hold of Yelan's head and hurled her across the pavement.

¬¬¬¬¬ TOMOEDA ¬¬¬¬¬

The next morning, Yuki awoke in his car and found himself parked in the middle of an alley, his head hurting from all the action. "Oh, God! Did I get drunk or did I get drunk?"

Touya then came rushing over to the vehicle in a panic. "There you are!" He said with relief. "What the hell happened!?"

"Touya?" Yuki slowly got out of the car and stretched his back.

"Are you all right?"

"Yeah, I think so. Where am I?"

"You're in an alley with your car banged up against the wall. Do you remember what happened?"

Yuki thought for a moment then recalled last night's events. "_Now_ I do." He looked around for any lurking photographers or police officers then pulled his friend by the arm.

"What? What is it?" Touya asked.

"Something bad is about to happen, I can tell. Last night I ran into an evil force I've never seen before."

"But Yue has."

Yuki nodded. "Yeah. Right now we need to get to Sakura and warn her and Kero."

"Right."

"Wait, where did you come from? Where were you last night?"

"You know where I was. And when you didn't show up, I had to cancel and spend all night looking for your sorry ass."

"You spent all night looking for me?" Yuki almost started to tear up.

"Yes."

"What, are you an idiot or something!?"

"Hey, shut up!" He smacked Yuki upside the head. "You make me do that again, I'm gonna shave your head while you're sleeping and glue the hair to your face!"

Yuki chuckled at Touya's threat. "Hey whatever, bitch. I've got a moon guardian living inside me. Ain't no one touching _me_!"

Touya raised his fist as if to punch Yuki, causing the boy to flinch and protect his face. "No, don't hit me! I'm pretty!" After a few seconds, Yuki opened one eye and noticed Touya just standing there with a smug grin on his face. "Oh..."

"Wimp." Touya teased.

"Bastard!" Yuki snapped back.

"Look, if we've got a crisis on our hands then I say we head back and wait for Sakura to come home from school."

"You're right."

"The only problem is that the twerp isn't here. Well, not yet anyway."

Yuki then remembered. "Oh, right. He's in Hong Kong."


	5. Classroom Chaos

CHAPTER FIVE

Inside Mr. Terada's classroom, the teacher was going on with his biology lesson while the students seemed rather uninterested in the subject now that they had a celebrity in the class. They all gave Sakura starry-eyed glances and rosy-cheeked smiles as Terada desperately tried to win back the class' attention.

"Okay." The teacher sighed. "Let's go over this again. Osmosis is..." Terada waited for an answer. "Anybody? Anybody?" There was no response. The students were either asking for Sakura's autograph or just not paying attention at all. All of this made Sakura feel a bit uneasy.

Terada then lost his patience. "Well, you can at least _pretend_ to give me an answer! C'mon! I've been going over it for the last half-hour! What is osmosis!?"

Takashi then raised his hand, much to the teacher's joy. "Yes! Takashi! The answer, please?"

"Isn't that the cartoon with this sock-looking guy in a jacket who hangs out with this robot or something and he's loaded with weapons and stuff and they're all, like inside this kid or something?" Takashi guessed.

Furious, Terada chucked an eraser at his student and missed. "Damn it! The new principal is gonna stop by soon! What's he gonna think when he sees the best Tomoeda has to offer is a bunch of no-brained idiots!?"

"That you've been doing a lousy job?" Takashi guessed aloud.

Terada chucked another eraser at him and missed again. "Son of a--!" He growled. The teacher put his hands on his head and took a deep breath, trying to relieve the stress.

"Mr. Terada?" Sakura asked as she got out of her seat. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" The teacher was confused.

"All this saving I've been doing lately has really gotten people's attention and now the class won't listen to you and I feel really bad and--" 

"Whoa, slow down!" The teacher tried to calm the girl down. "None of this is your fault, Sakura."

"It isn't?"

"Actually, I lied. It _is_ your fault. Go sit down and kindly let me finish my lesson. In fact, sit in the back of the class so no one sees you. Okay?"

"Oh...kay." Sakura obeyed the teacher and dragged her desk all the way to the back, causing an irritable screeching noise with every pull.

"Aw, Sakura..." Chiharu sympathized for her friend.

Just then, a familiar looking face peeked into the room and caught the students by surprise.

"Have they started sawing a woman in half yet?" Kaho joked as she walked in the class and smiled.

"Ms. Mizuki." Terada was surprised himself. "What brings _you _here?"

"A bicycle. But I left that in the hall." She said as she took a seat next to Terada's desk.

"Ms. Mizuki? Are _you _the new principal?" Naoko asked.

"That's right." She smiled.

"What!?" Terada almost fainted.

"Oh, please. Don't let my presence bother you. I've been visiting _all _the teachers today."

Terada chuckled nervously. "Right, right." He then turned his attention back to his students. "All right, let me go on with my lecture..."

"I wish you'd go on _without_ your lecture." Kaho said under her breath.

"If you look in your books, you'll see that this..." Terada started as he opened up a textbook, which displayed a colorful drawing of the human liver. "...Is the liver."

"What? No bacon? I'd send that back if I were you." Kaho interrupted.

Terada ignored her and went on. "Now if the liver is neglected, it will most likely lead to the symptoms of cirrhosis. And I'm sure you all know what that is." The teacher then paused for a moment and had another attack. "Oh, Christ! You couldn't get osmosis and now I expect you to know what cirrhosis is!? Think, Terada! Think!"

"Is this stuff on the level or are you just making it up?" Kaho thought aloud.

"Look, Ms. Mizuki. Everything I'm saying can be found in the simplest textbook on anatomy. If I had any decent students who were _worth a damn_..." He glanced at his students. "...They would bear me out."

"We'll bear you out!" Takashi said as he and Chiharu ran up to their teacher and pulled him out of the classroom as Kaho gladly held the door open.

"Damn you all!" Terada cried as the door shut.

The new principal then took over the class and addressed the students. "And let that be a lesson to all of you! This school was here before you came and it'll be here before you go! And you too, you numbskull!" Kaho knocked over a plastic skull sitting on Terada's desk.

"Ms. Mizuki?" Sakura was now confused.

"Now we'll have no further interruptions! I'll have to finish Terada's lesson for him and hope to God you'll learn something." Kaho then picked up the book and started to go over the lesson. "According to some famous scientist, you'll never know about because you're all practically brain dead, 'There is ever present a group of white phagocytes'..."

"_You're_ a phagocyte!" Takashi hollered.

Like Terada before her, Kaho chucked an eraser at the boy but actually managed to knock him out of his seat. "Yes! Ten points!" Kaho said as she rang the bell on Terada's desk.

"Does Ms. Mizuki seem a little strange to you, Sakura?" Tomoyo asked her friend.

Sakura shrugged and smiled. "Who cares? Li's coming home!"

¬¬¬¬¬

"Why hasn't he come home!?" Sakura cried like a baby.

The school day was over and Sakura and Tomoyo were visiting Eriol in his new home. When there was no sign of Li to be found anywhere, Sakura began to pout and fear for the boy's safety.

"I'm sure he's fine, Sakura." Eriol said. "His flight was probably running late or something."

"You had something to do with this, didn't you!?" Sakura snapped. "You two could never get along, so you had to make an excuse for Li's flight to delay!" She then grabbed Eriol by the collar and started shaking him. "What did you do, Eriol!? Blizzard!? Rainstorm!? Flying buttocks!? Tell me! What did you do to my boyfriend!?"

"I swear! I didn't do anything!" Eriol pleaded with the girl. "He's probably on his way right now!"

Sakura let go of him and sighed. "Oh, I hope you're right."

Spinel then flew into the room as Nakuru brought over a tray of refreshments for the group. "Hi, girls!" She smiled.

"Hello, Nakuru. It's good to see you again." Tomoyo said.

"You too, Ms. Daidouji." She then noticed someone missing. "Hey, where's Li?"

"Li!?" Sakura started to sob again. "Excuse me!" Sakura ran out of the room to cry some more.

"What did I say!?" Nakuru looked confused. "Wait, Sakura! I'm sorry!"

"Hey! Don't make me stay here alone! That crazy doll might be here!" Spinel shouted at Nakuru as she chased after Sakura.

"Who are you calling doll, you furball!?" Kero said as he popped out of Tomoyo's bag.

"Oh, shit! I'm out of here!" Spinel said as he flew away from Kero.

"Nuh-uh! Get back here!" As the doll chased after his rival, Tomoyo and Eriol realized they were now alone.

"They're... _friends_, right?" Tomoyo asked.

"It's hard to tell. The way they bicker." Eriol's heart started to pound as he saw Tomoyo's beautiful smile.

"Eriol?" Tomoyo started. "What made you want to come back to Tomoeda?"

"Oh, it was..." Eriol wasn't sure if he should tell her or not. "...It was many things."

"Like what?" The girl was curious to know.

"Uh..." He knew he had to think of something quick. "Well, there's Sakura and her new abilities. I wanted to make sure I could be there to assist her in any way possible."

"Oh."

"And, uh..." He was now turning red from anticipation. "Tomoyo, I did a lot of thinking these past few months."

"Really? About what?"

"About my... feelings. For someone."

Tomoyo leaned in closer. "Do you mean... me?"

Eriol nodded. "Yes."

Just when things were getting interesting, Kaho walked in on the two and noticed Eriol looking very flushed and sweaty. She had never seen him like this before.

"I'm sorry." She grinned. "Did I interrupt something?"

"No, not at all." Eriol stood up immediately. "What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing. Except the fact that Sakura is in the hallway, crying because her beloved has yet to show up."

"I told you! I didn't do anything!" Eriol pleaded.

There was a knock at the door. "I'll get it!" Nakuru shouted as she slid down the railing of the steps and crashed into the wall. "Damn it!"

She shook her head and rubbed her nose as she answered the door. Upon seeing Touya's face, Nakuru jumped with joy and wrapped her arms around the young man. "Touya! You came to visit me!"

"Let... go of me." He angrily said through his teeth.

"What's the matter? Didn't you miss me?"

"Where's Sakura? My dad told me she was here."

Sakura appeared from the hallway and was surprised to see her brother. "Touya?"

"There you are."

"What's going on?"

"Trouble."

Sakura slowly backed away. "What sort of trouble?"

Yuki walked in through the door with a concerned look on his face. "Oh, you know. The usual end-of-the-world kind of stuff. Nothing big, right?"

"Where did you go last night?" Sakura asked her big brother.

"Somewhere." He tried to hide the truth from her.

"It doesn't matter right now, Sakura. We've got bigger things to worry about." Yuki interrupted.

"Like what?" Kero butted in as he approached the group. "What's going on? Where's the party? You got any food? Where's the food?"

"They're back, Kero. Or at least _one_ of them is. For now."

"Back? Who's back?" The doll looked confused.

"The Demon Knights."

Kero dropped his wings and plopped to the ground, unconscious. Everyone circled around the fainted doll and gave him a strange look.

Nakuru took out a fire poker and jabbed the doll, expecting him to wake up. "Do you think if we'd beat him with a stick hard enough, he'd burst like a piñata?"


	6. One Week Ago

CHAPTER SIX

Tomoyo wandered through the empty city streets as she saw the damage that had been done. Several cars were overturned and set ablaze as buildings were on the verge of collapsing. The smoke and fire filling the air made it almost impossible for the young girl to see through. She zipped up her gloves that belonged to her battle outfit and slowly tied her hair back, waiting for a sudden confrontation.

"_Tomoyo..._" A voice called out to her.

She looked to the right and only saw a pile of rubble. She heard the voice again and turned to the right. This time, she only saw a loose power line dangling over a puddle of oil.

"All right, this isn't funny!" The girl shouted. "Show yourself!" 

Just then, several glowing red eyes appeared from the dark corners of the city and began to approach Tomoyo. She nodded with a grin then cracked her neck, as if preparing for a battle.

"Playtime." She said as five hooded men appeared from the shadows.

One of them took out a saber and swung it around Tomoyo but the girl proved to be too fast for him. She quickly dodged the blade, twirled to the side and grabbed hold of the man, breaking his arm instantly. She then stole the blade from him and defended herself from the other four.

Two of the fighters twirled a chain around with expertise but it didn't phase Tomoyo. She quickly moved to the middle and stuck her weapon in the air, tangling the two in the process. Tomoyo then lured the two fighters in and easily knocked them down.

The last two nodded at each other and rushed into battle. One of them took out a sword while the other held a pair of tonfa and attempted to double up on the young girl. She winked at the two as she back-flipped away from danger, causing the sword wielder to slash through his ally. Tomoyo continued flipping away from her remaining opponent as he desperately swung his blade at her.

When cornered by a nearby building, Tomoyo ducked her opponent's last swing and sent him flying with a massive uppercut. Tomoyo then looked around, pleased with herself, as she caught her breath.

"Okay..." She said. "I'm done!" 

In a matter of seconds, the buildings, the fire, the five men and all the destruction faded away. Tomoyo was now standing inside an indoor tennis court as she waved at the protective glass across from her.

Sakura, Li and Kero waved back at the girl from behind that glass with proud smiles on their faces.

"Good job, Tomoyo!" Sakura said.

Tomoyo entered the room, wiping the sweat from her face and took a seat below the cooling vent. "Oh, that feels good..."

"Not bad for three months of training." Kero said.

"Not bad?" Tomoyo started. "Hmm. I guess not. But I'm sure I could do better."

"I think you've done enough." Li told her. "You've really showed a lot of improvement. I'm proud of you."

Tomoyo blushed. "Well. I had a good trainer."

"Oh, well..." Li was about to blush himself when Sakura wrapped her arms around him from behind.

"Li's the best!" She shouted.

Watching Li and Sakura's cutesy antics made Tomoyo feel a bit isolated from them. She looked down and grinned, thinking of someone she hadn't seen for a while. Sakura noticed her friend's expression and tried to cheer her up.

"It's Eriol, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Tomoyo looked up. "Oh. Right. Is it that obvious?"

"I don't see what the big deal is!" Kero butted in. "He likes you, you like him... but neither of you do anything about it!" He tapped his head for a minute. "What the hell, man!?"

"I always thought that the boy should be the first one to confess." Tomoyo defended herself. "It seems much more romantic that way..." She then started to display her signature starry-eyed look.

"Oh, hell." Li moaned. "I know _that_ look."

"And what's wrong with her waiting for Eriol to go first?" Sakura asked. "After all, Li, _you_ were the one who confessed to me first if I remember correctly."

Li was now blushing for sure. "Yeah, but... that was different! I'm not an idiot like _he _is!"

Sakura wrapped her arms around him even tighter and smiled. "Oh, I know that. I'm just glad you had the courage to do it soon enough."

"Unlike a certain someone I know who took four months to return the feelings." Kero said under his breath.

"Say what to me, cotton head!?" Sakura growled as she dangled Kero by the tail.

"Hey, whoa! Easy! I'm sorry!" The doll pleaded with her.

"Oh, well." Tomoyo sighed. "I guess I'll just have to keep on waiting for that special someone to come for me."

"You'll find someone, Tomoyo." Sakura reassured her friend as she grabbed hold of Li's hand. "And when you do, you'll always wonder how you managed to survive without him."

Sakura then leaned in and kissed Li on the lips, as Kero groaned and smeared his face against the glass.

"Oh, these two..." He said. "It's the same old shit day after day, after day, after day, after day, after day..." The doll then started to bang his head against the glass with the rhythm of his words.

"Okay, Kero. We're done." Sakura giggled.

"After day, after day, after day..."

"Kero?"

"After day, after day, after day, after day..."

"Kero, you can stop now."

"After day, after day, after day..."

"Kero, I mean it! Stop!"

"After day, after day, after day, after day..."

"**_Kero!" _**The three friends shouted, causing the doll to crash through the glass.

Moments later, Sonomi came running into the room and was startled to find the glass shattered about the tennis court.

"My tennis court!" She gasped. "What happened!? Are you all right!?" She then ran over to her daughter and checked for any bruises, cuts or scrapes. "Speak to me, Tomoyo! Are you bleeding! Do you need a doctor!?"

"Mom, I'm okay!" She said.

"Are you sure? Don't be afraid to tell me!"

"Yes!" Tomoyo then started to giggle. "I'm okay, really."

"Oh, thank God." Sonomi then saw Kero lying on the shards of broken glass. "Well? Are you going to explain yourself?"

"Uhh... I don't know my own strength?" Kero shrugged.

"Don't tell me you were using the Illusion and Create cards again, Tomoyo..." The woman crossed her arms.

"Of course not." Tomoyo smiled. "_Sakura_ did!"

"Hey!" Sakura fell back.

"Why are you doing this to me, Tomoyo? A mother worries about these things!" She put her hands around her daughter's.

"I'm not going to be a valuable asset to this team if I'm just going along the sidelines, documenting everything. I want to actually do something for a change, mom." Tomoyo gave her that starry look. "And I can't do that unless I've got the proper training."

Sonomi looked down and nodded. "Oh, I know that. I just didn't realize how important this is to you."

As mother and daughter spoke, Li pulled Sakura away to another side of the room while Kero remained lying on the glass.

"What is it?" Sakura asked with a concerned look on her face.

"I'm going back to Hong Kong this weekend." Li told her.

"What? Why? I thought--"

"No, it's all right. I'm only visiting my family for a couple of days. I'll be back Monday."

Sakura sighed with relief. "Oh." She then hugged him tight. "For a moment I thought you were going to leave me again."

Li closed his eyes and smiled as he gently held on to her, breathing in her beautiful scent. "I'll never leave you again." He whispered.

"Promise?"

"I promise."

They exchanged glances then kissed again as Kero called out to them. "Hey, don't think I can't see that shit! Cut it out!"

_THAT WAS A WEEK AGO. THIS IS NOW..._

_DOWN THERE. AFTER THIS PARAGRAPH THINGY IN ITALICS..._

_WHY THE HELL ARE YOU STILL READING THIS? SCROLL DOWN, DAMN YOU! _

_NOW! RIGHT NOW! READ!_

Sakura and her friends were all sitting around the living room as Eriol explained--

_THANK YOU._

Hey, shut up! I'm trying to tell a story here!

_BITE ME._

Screw you! Anyway... Sakura and her friends were sitting around the living room as Eriol explained to them the origins of the Demon Knights, as Yue called them.

"The Demon Knights are the guardians of the Demon Realm. A place I have tried very hard to forget." Eriol started. "When Faust unleashed his army for the first time, it was on a small island in Spain. There, he brought down a magic family who protected a sacred weapon known as the Sangria Gauntlet."

"Sangria Gauntlet?" Nakuru asked.

"Yes. It had the power to open the Demon Realm and unleash whatever evil laid inside."

"What happened?" Sakura asked next.

"Faust killed the entire family and stole the weapon. Upon using it, he managed to tear a hole in the space-time continuum, thus opening the doorway to the Demon Realm. The Demon Knights were the first to appear from the realm and obeyed Faust's every command." 

"What?" Sakura was confused.

"Not only does the Gauntlet open the doorway but it also gives its user the ability to command the Demon Knights. When Clow Reed and his court arrived to confront Faust, the Dark Lord tried to use it against him."

"Big mistake!" Kero joined in. "That idiot Faust tried to suck Clow Reed into the portal but ol' blue eyes managed to beat the living shit out of him in time! Too bad he escaped, though."

Eriol nodded. "Yes. Upon his escape, Faust removed the power gems and handed them each to their respective owners, thus renouncing his command over the Demon Knights."

"Power gems?" Sakura was still curious.

"The Demon Knights are given their power by the mystical gems that match their color of flame. The one Yukito described can only be the--"

"The Blue Knight?" Sakura guessed.

"Yes."

"Clow Reed tracked down the Demon Knights and sealed them away one by one. Until eventually, he managed to put away Faust and the Blue Knight at the same time. Probably near the same place, too." Kero continued. "Chances are, the Blue Knight's going after the Red Knight next."

"How do you know?" Tomoyo asked the doll.

"Because it's the only place he knows where the gem is kept." Eriol answered.

"And where would that be?"

"The temple of Xiang Zhou."

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Ooh, things are getting weird now! What will become of our heroes and what exactly are the Demon Knights up to? How's about showing me some love and I'll answer those questions in no time, huh? Please? Pretty please? _**


	7. Deliverance Revisited

CHAPTER SEVEN

The morning fog had now surrounded the body of water the Dragon Boat was treading on. Li and Meiling looked up and noticed they were surrounded by a maze of towering trees and overgrown shrubberies. The air was warm but the fog added a slight temperature drop in their surroundings.

"Are we here?" Meiling asked.

"Yeah." Li nodded. "We're here."

As the boat came to a stop, Li immediately jumped out of his seat and onto the wet grass of the island. He helped Meiling out as well then looked around the area, wondering where to go next.

"Well? Where is it?" The girl asked.

"Hold on." Li put his finger on his head, trying to remember where the temple was.

Meiling grew impatient. "Are you sure this is the place?"

"I'm sure."

They then heard a snapping noise coming from the distance. Startled, the two cousins glanced over to a nearby bush but saw nothing unusual. Another snap. They turned to another bush but again saw nothing. They directed their eyes all around the area, trying to spot something in the leaves that hung above them or the bushes that laid about.

"Meiling?" Li started. "Have you ever seen that movie _'Deliverance'_?"

The girl cringed with fear. "Oh, I remember a certain pig-squealing scene that made me throw up."

A faint musical chord could then be heard coming from the distance. Li shuddered as he grabbed hold of Meiling's hand.

"Okay." He said. "Let's get the hell out of here!"

As Li ran, pulling Meiling behind, several more snapping twigs could be heard which indicated a chase. Li could now see the various shadows running alongside the bushes, trying to keep up with him and the young girl.

"Li! I'm scared!" She cried.

"Me too! I don't want anybody going near my ass!" He called back.

The chase through the mysterious island got fiercer when several of the shadowy figures began to shoot down darts on the two. Spears and nets followed, barely missing them by a few inches.

"I don't see any temple, Li!" Meiling shouted.

The boy frantically looked around while running. "It has to be here!"

"Do you hear banjos!?"

"No and neither do you so shut up!"

The chase ended immediately when Li tripped a wire, causing a net to pull the two up a tree. They swung to the side for a while before eventually slowing down to a dangle. Afterwards, a group of primitive looking men smeared with a black and red substance approached them. They all looked up at the net and poked the two with their spears.

"Hey, watch it!" Li warned.

One of the natives said something to one of his own, prompting the net to be cut down. Upon falling to the floor, Meiling and Li were taken away forcibly into another part of the wilderness.

"Where are you taking us!?" Meiling demanded to know. There was no reply.

"Meiling, just calm down." Li told her. "Maybe there's an explanation for all this."

¬¬¬¬¬ BACK IN TOMOEDA ¬¬¬¬¬

Inside the enormous library of Eriol's new home, everyone looked up at the top shelf as the blue-eyed boy rolled along the ladder. He took out a book then descended back to the floor with the others.

"This book can help shed some light on the Demon Knights." He said to them.

Sakura opened the book and flipped through the pages until Kero stopped her in place. He pointed at some sketches of five skeletal warriors wielding a different gem.

"That's them!" Kero said. "The Demon Knights."

Eriol nodded. "Yes. It appears they all carry with them a different weapon to match their fighting skill. The Blue Knight and his sword, the Red Knight and his scythe, The Green Knight and his axe…" Eriol then noticed some of the pages were smeared. "Oh, damn."

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"Oh, it's nothing. But you get the point."

The girl nodded. "I do. But how was the Blue Knight revived?"

"Sealing them away basically shut them down. The only way to revive them is by reading aloud the scripture on their weapons."

Kaho then came into the room. "I just got off the phone with your father, Sakura."

Sakura then panicked. "Oh no! Is he okay!? Is he hurt!? Who did this!? I'll kill them! I'll rip their--"

"No, no! He's fine!" The woman interrupted. "He just informed me that an archaeological team from his college was found murdered."

"Where at?"

"A few meters away from Faust's old tomb."

Tomoyo stood up and grabbed Eriol by the arm. "You were right, Eriol! And now they're wreaking havoc on our city! What do we do now?"

Eriol blushed for a minute then returned his focus on the matter. "Well, we have to… stop the Blue Knight from retrieving the other gems and seal them away like Clow Reed did."

"Wait a minute." Nakuru butted in. "Why don't we use that Sangria Gauntlet to control them?"

"I'm afraid the Gauntlet was lost all those years ago. Nobody knows what Faust did with it after he gave back the gems. I suppose it could be anywhere."

"Then why don't we destroy the gems?" Yuki suggested. "If they're the source of their power, then why don't we--"

"In order to do that, Yukito, we would require a highly intense form of positive magic energy concentrated into a single attack." Eriol interrupted. "Clow Reed was powerful. But I'm afraid he wasn't _that_ powerful."

"What if we were to combine our magic like we did on Alcatraz?" Spinel suggested.

Eriol shook his head. "No. It has to be from one source otherwise the other magical entities could disrupt the frequency."

Kero scratched his head for a moment. "Do you think Sakura's powerful enough to do it?"

They all gave Sakura a questionable look. The green-eyed girl chuckled nervously and turned away from them. "Oh, God. They're looking at me again…" She said to herself.

"So what do we do now?" Touya asked.

"It's your call, Sakura." Eriol said.

"Mine!?" She shrieked. "But… I don't know if… We can't go anywhere without Li!"

"Time's running out, Sakura." Tomoyo said to her friend. "I think this is one mission we're going to have to do without him."

Sakura tried to come up with another excuse. "But we still have school! And I don't know if--"

"I've got you covered, Sakura." Kaho interrupted. "Besides, it's not like Terada and the others don't know where your other responsibilities lie."

Sakura sighed and thought for a moment. Could she really do this without Li? Would her magic be enough to destroy the gems and cast away the evil for good? She knew in her heart that she couldn't walk away from the call of duty. It was time to act. With or without her beloved. She stepped forward and nodded at her friends.

"Okay." She said. "Let's go get that gem."

Tomoyo got that starry-eyed look in her face again, causing Eriol to blush some more. She put her hands together and leaned up against the boy.

"Oh, it'll be like old times again!" She dreamily said. "So do we call the army and get them in on this?"

Sakura shook her head. "No. There's too many of them to track down and so little time. We'll have to do this on our own. Where did you say that gem was?"

"The Temple of Xiang Zhou. It's on a hidden island that can only be entered by something with a magical connection strong enough to withstand the dimensional tear."

"Dimensional tear?" Sakura asked.

"It's like I said. A hidden island. You won't find it on any map and there will be no recorded evidence of its existence."

Sakura nodded. "Well, that's great and everything. But how are we going to get there?"

Eriol sighed. "That's a good question."

"Oh, don't worry." Touya said. "We'll take care of that part."

Yuki giggled. "You think they know what we're up to?"

"Not a chance in hell."


	8. Different Kinds Of Progress

CHAPTER EIGHT

Deep within the city, within the towering building that is Kanaye Industries, businessman and scientist Hiroshi Kanaye walked along the smooth floors of his hallways. His associates followed closely, giving him their daily reports.

"Sir, I have to be honest with you." One of them said. "I don't think we can afford to throw the Kibou Festival this year. I mean, I haven't seen a drop in sales like this in all my years."

"And how many years would that be?" The man asked. "Listen, son. I've been in the business since I was a boy. I've seen sales patterns like this before. We'll make it."

"Of course, sir. But you see, the odds of us breaking even from it are--"

"Don't ever tell me the odds, Tochigi." The man interrupted. "The Kibou Festival has been a time-honored tradition since my father ran the company and I will continue to uphold that tradition even if it sets me back a few million."

"Y-yes, sir."

For a man pushing 40, Hiroshi was in great shape. Tall, fairly built and always clean shaven. It was no wonder everyone felt comfortable working for a man like him.

"Has the meeting started?" He asked the woman at the desk.

"No, sir. They're waiting for you." She responded.

"Thank you."

The man entered a large boardroom, where a table seated with a dozen directors awaited him. Hiroshi greeted the men and took a seat at the head of the table.

"Good evening, gentlemen." He said with a charming smile. "Now I know sales this term have been declining. Profits are down to an all-time low and the government has made some cuts in our funding. However, I don't think this should slow down our production any bit. Progress is being made, I assure you."

"In what fields?" An older man asked.

"The weapons department has developed a series of flight suits that enable them to attack and fly with the same speed of any jet fighter."

"What about the science department?" Asked another board director. "What progress is being made there?"

Kanaye chuckled. "Oh, you wouldn't believe me if I told you."

"Hiroshi." Said yet another director. "Tell me you're not going through with the Kibou Festival."

The man nodded. "Oh, I am. And hopefully our guest of honor will help boost sales."

"And is our guest of honor going or are you just making this up?"

"She's going, all right." Lorca said from the back of the room. The Spaniard waved at Kanaye and took a seat at the end of the table. "Her father told me himself."

"Christopher Lorca." The director shook his head.

"Hello, Kagawa." He grinned then turned his attention to Kanaye. "You can count on Card Captor Sakura appearing at the festival this weekend, Hiroshi."

"Good man, Lorca. I knew you still had it in you." Kanaye gratefully said.

"Yes, well a charming smile like mine can take ages to wear off."

"Of course." The scientist then got out of his seat and headed for the door. "Gentlemen, the meeting is over. I'll see you all next week."

After all of the directors left the room, Lorca made sure he was the last one then headed for Kanaye's office.

"Hell of a time to throw a festival, don't you think?" Lorca asked.

Kanaye nodded as he went through some of his papers. "Yes, I know. But hopefully things will work out as planned. We can't have any glitches."

"I understand completely."

¬¬¬¬¬

Sakura and Kero headed down the stairs and into the living room as Fujitaka shook his head from disbelief. Sakura grabbed her coat and slipped on her bag then turned to her father.

"I'll see you in a few days." She told him.

"You just be careful out there, Sakura. You don't know what could happen." Her father said.

"Oh, I think I've got an idea of what I'm dealing with." She then hugged her father and kissed him on the cheek as Touya waited for her at the door.

"You take care of your sister, Touya." Fujitaka told his son.

"Hey!" He started. "Who's gonna take care of _me_? _She's_ the one with the powers!"

"Come on!" Kero called out to Sakura. "We're wasting valuable snacking time!"

Moments later, Touya started his car and drove off with Sakura and her sun guardian in the passenger seat. Fujitaka waved goodbye to them and sighed.

"Be careful." He said under his breath.

¬¬¬¬¬

After a thirty minute drive, Sakura and her brother arrived at Sonomi Diadouji's privately owned airfield. Sakura and Kero looked out the window and noticed all the jets parked out on the lot.

"Wow." Sakura said. "Are we going on one of those?"

Touya grinned. "Sort of."

After parking in the air hangar, Touya got out of his car and met with Yukito, who was hanging around a nearby vending machine.

"Hey! I told you not to snack when we got here!" Touya scolded.

"I couldn't help it, man!" Yuki said with a mouthful of fudge in his mouth.

"Where did you get fudge!?" Kero demanded to know.

Sakura walked around the corner of the building, where Tomoyo, Nakuru, Eriol and Spinel were waiting.

"Well?" Sakura asked. "Does anybody know why we're here? I mean besides renting a plane?"

"Yuki was too stubborn to tell us." Nakuru said. "He said it was a surprise."

"Did Touya tell _you_ anything?" Asked Eriol.

Sakura shook her head. "Nothing."

"And with good reason!" Sonomi said as she came down a flight of stairs with a few of her bodyguards close behind. "Touya and Yukito told me of the situation and I was more than happy to help."

"Help? You, mom? How?" Tomoyo was confused. She then remembered where they were. "Oh, right. The airfield. So, which plane are we taking?"

"Well none of these, I should hope." Sonomi chuckled. "If you'll follow me, please."

Sonomi led the group down the hangar, where a staircase heading below ground level awaited them.

Sakura looked around and noticed Touya and Yuki were missing. "Wait, what about Touya and Yuki? Shouldn't they--"

Sonomi interrupted the young girl. "Don't worry about that right now, Sakura. Just follow me down these steps."

As everyone complied with Sonomi's request, they found themselves approaching a door that read: AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY. Sonomi took out a card from her pocket and slid it through the door's computerized slot. A green light beeped and soon allowed everyone to enter an underground hangar, dark and cool.

"I can't see anything…" Tomoyo said as she grabbed hold of Eriol's arm.

"Let go of my arm, Spinel." Eriol said.

"That's not me!" The winged cat griped. "And would you please stop touching my butt, Nakuru!?"

"Oh, that's _your_ butt!?" Kero was surprised. "Oh, nasty!"

Seconds later, all of the lights in the hangar switched on and everyone could see who was touching who. Upon seeing Tomoyo grabbing hold of his arm, Eriol blushed and chuckled nervously.

"Oh, Tomoyo." He sighed with relief. "It's only you…"

Tomoyo blushed and immediately let go. "I'm sorry. I didn't see who it was. Forgive me."

"No, no. It's perfectly all right."

"Why were you touching my ass?" Spinel shoved Kero.

"Hey, man!" Kero shoved Spinel back. "I was reaching for that candy bar in Nakuru's purse!"

"That's not a candy bar, Kero." Nakuru said, almost blushing.

"Are you sure? It looks like one. It even has a fun little string to pull it out of the wrapper."

"Trust me."

As everyone griped with each other, Sakura stepped forward and looked up at something she didn't expect to see.

"Oh… my… God." She said with awe. "You guys, look!"

Everyone stopped in place and looked up to see what Sakura was so amazed at. They all dropped their jaw and were taken by surprise at the enormous high-tech fighter jet parked inside the hangar. Its sleek, silver chrome design and tinted windows practically brought tears to Sonomi's eyes as she glanced at everyone's facial expressions.

"What do you think?" The woman asked with a giggle.

"Mom? Is that… _ours_?" Tomoyo asked.

"Yes. I give you the _WarHawk. _Consider it the team's means of transportation for those hard-to-get-to places."

"Ms. Daidouji, it's amazing." Sakura told her. "It's so… big."

Sonomi nodded. "Yes. It's got bucket seating for up to 10 passengers, two pilot seats, a cargo bay that could hold a tank and weapons systems all throughout the mainframe."

"Whoa, wait a minute!" Tomoyo interrupted. "Weapons systems!?"

"Mm-hmm. We got the idea from one of our toy designs."

"We? Who's we?"

"My investors, of course. They supplied me with all the parts and labor while I came up with the designs and handled all the paperwork."

Tomoyo was confused by all of this. She backed away and started to hyperventilate, prompting Sakura to come to her aide.

"Tomoyo, are you okay?" She asked her friend.

Tomoyo nodded as she breathed heavily. "Yeah, I'm fine. I just… Mom! What were you thinking?"

Sonomi gave her daughter a questionable look. "We want to help. What's wrong with that?"

"Mom, you've supplied us with a flying death machine. I mean, you own a toy company not a munitions cabinet! It's like you're preparing for a war or something!"

"In case you've forgotten, Tomoyo, we've already been at war. And I could have lost you and Sakura and everyone else who matters to this cause. If I'm going to have you risking your life out there with your friends, I might as well do something to help even the odds."

Tomoyo nodded as she started to tear up. She then hugged her mother and smiled. "You're right, mother. I'm sorry."

Sonomi held her daughter close and smiled as well. "It's all right, Tomoyo. There should never be any hidden feelings kept between us."

"Hey, I hate to interrupt this tender moment!" Kero blurted out. "But, uhh… who exactly are we getting to fly this thing?"

Sonomi grinned. "Don't worry, Kero. I have two perfectly good pilots who have been on standby this whole time."

"Really? Well, where are they!?"

"We're right here, doofus!" A familiar voice called out to the doll.

Everyone turned around and was surprised to see Touya and Yukito entering the hangar wearing matching blue uniforms complete with nametags.

"You!?" Sakura nearly fainted. She then came to a realization. "Oh, it all makes sense now. That explains all those late-night trips you've been making."

"That's right. After Sonomi arranged for us to get our piloting licenses three months ago, we spent several nights of training out here." Touya said as he zipped up the top of his suit. "You guys ready?"

Kero then flew around Yukito, examining the uniform. "I'm sorry but for a minute I thought you could _already_ fly!"

"_Yue_ flies!" Yuki snapped. "So if he can do it, then why can't I?"

"Oh, this is so exciting!" Nakuru jumped with joy. "Our own special jet and two handsome pilots ripe for the picking!" She leaped on Touya's back and laughed.

"Get off me, wench!" He cried.

Sakura giggled as she looked up at the plane. "All right, then. Let's do this."

Inside the jet Sakura and Tomoyo strapped themselves on the left side of the plane while Nakuru and Eriol sat on the right. Kero and Spinel hovered above the two pilots as they readied the engines.

"Thrusters are operational and engines are sounding pretty good to me, Touya." Yuki said as he flipped a few switches.

"Roger that." Touya said as he adjusted his steering handle. "And we are now clear for takeoff."

The jet's back thrusters unleashed a powerful blaze that immediately sent the plane flying. As it zoomed off into the night sky, Sonomi and her bodyguards waved goodbye.

"Good luck to you all."


	9. Village Idiots

CHAPTER NINE

The natives in the war paint and thinned-down bamboo garments carried Meiling and Li around on a wicker cage over their shoulders. As they hiked along the wilderness, they chanted a strange foreign language unknown to Meiling.

"What are they saying?" She asked her cousin.

Li concentrated on the primitives' dialect and tried to repeat exactly what they said. "It sounds like… ancient Tibetan? Or is that Taiwanese?"

"You can understand them?"

"Sort of. It sounds like they're saying… 'village' or something."

"Then they're taking us back to their place?" 

Li shrugged. "I guess so."

"But why?"

"I don't know."

Moments later, the two found themselves entering through a raised, bamboo doorway which led to a small village complete with huts, campfires and several other primitives awaiting the arrival of their scout party. The women wore simple red gowns made of an unknown cloth while the children ran around, wearing almost nothing but a loincloth.

"Li…" Meiling whispered. "That kid's balls are showing."

"Shh!"

"I'm scared."

¬¬¬¬¬

Inside the WarHawk, as Touya and Yukito piloted the jet, Sakura gazed out her window and saw the clouds passing by them. Tomoyo sat close to her friend and tried to comfort her.

"Don't worry, Sakura." She said. "I'm sure wherever Li is, he's fine."

"I just wish I knew why he didn't let me know he wasn't coming home right away." Sakura sighed. "I don't like this feeling."

"What feeling would that be then?"

"Not knowing if he's in danger or not. If he needs me by his side or if he's thinking the same thing about me."

"I know that feeling."

"You do?"

Tomoyo nodded. "It's called love, Sakura." She then glanced over to Eriol, who was speaking with the two pilots. "And right now I would give anything to share that feeling with someone else. That same, _exact_ feeling."

"Tomoyo, you don't have to shy away your feelings for him."

The blue-eyed girl nodded. "I know. But somehow I have a strange feeling that he doesn't feel for me the way he used to."

"How do you mean?"

"He seems more… _distant_."

Sakura now looked puzzled. "But Eriol's _always_ been in love with you. I don't know why he would want to hide his feelings for you now."

Tomoyo shrugged. "I don't know either." She then tried to turn the subject back over to Li. "As for Li, though. I wouldn't worry. I'm sure he's doing just fine."

¬¬¬¬¬

The scout party tilted the cage and plopped the two young teens onto the dirt floor. The villagers surrounded them, chatting amongst themselves in their aboriginal tongue. Meiling and Li slowly got up on their feet and dusted themselves as a tall, thin man in a more decorative getup walked through the crowd. They all bowed before what seemed to be their tribal chief as Li and Meiling nervously waved at him.

"Hi." Meiling smiled.

"How's it going?" Li smiled as well. "Listen, there's been a bit of a cock-up. You see, we were heading for the temple of Xiang Zhou and I don't--"

"Xiang Zhou!?" The chief interrupted the boy as he pointed a spear at him.

"I'm gonna take a piss now." Li said as he turned around and headed behind one of the bushes.

The chief then started to speak something in his native tongue at a rapid fire speed, startling the young boy even more. Li turned around and tried to mimic the language in an attempt to respond. "You're… guarding it?"

"Li, I don't like this!" Meiling whined.

"Guarding it from what?" He asked the chief.

The chief spoke again but at a slower pace this time. Li was able to understand now and followed along with every word, repeating the phrases and dialect to himself. "Demon Knight? What the hell's a Demon Knight?"

Li then suddenly remembered the phrase his mother told him while she was possessed back at the temple. "Wait a minute. Mother."

"What about her?" Meiling asked.

"She said… _'Demon's might is the Demon Knight. Fear the cost of sin and vice. On the darkest day lies a sacrifice.' _That thing that attacked my home. That's a Demon Knight, isn't it?"

The chief slowly nodded as he pointed across the village, where a small cave lay hidden behind the bushes and huts. As Li began to approach it, the chief pointed the spear at him once again.

"Hey, man! The Heart of Gold! I need it!"

Furious, the chief tripped the boy to the floor and pointed the spear right at his chest. Meiling started to panic as she felt completely helpless.

"Oh, God! Li!" She cried.

"I don't want to die lying on a pile of shit!" Li whined.

"Wait!" Meiling shouted as she got everyone's attention. "Hold on a minute. You guys want to see something neat?"

The villagers stared at the young girl strangely as she displayed a very mischievous grin on her face. She then pulled out a Mickey Mouse PEZ dispenser and held it in the air, putting the tribe in a state of awe.

"This… is Mickey!" Meiling shouted. "Provider of all that is sweet, fruitful and everything downright yummy!"

As Meiling lifted the head to slip out a small candy disk, the villagers backed away and gasped in amazement. She placed the candy in her mouth and started chewing, making satisfying yummy noises and intriguing the villagers even more. She then offered a candy disk to the chief.

"You want some?" She waved the Mickey head around. "C'mon. Hold out your hand…"

The chief shyly complied and slowly let his hand out. Meiling then dropped a candy piece onto the man's hand and motioned for him to eat it. Upon doing so, the chief smiled and approved of the sweet treat, raising his spear in the air and exclaiming something to his people.

"Here, take it." Meiling said as she handed the man the candy dispenser.

Li slowly rolled away and stood behind his cousin, wiping himself clean. "Good thinking, Meiling." 

Suddenly, all of the villagers lowered themselves to the ground and bowed before the candy dispenser as they all started to chant. _"Mee-key. Mee-key. Mee-key…"_

Meiling then started to play along and giggled. "Yes! Kneel before the provider!" 

Just then, she and Li found themselves being tied up by two of the villagers and blindfolded by some of the children.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Meiling protested. "What's going on!"

The chief started to speak again as Li tried to translate to the best of his ability. After hearing the chief's intentions, the brown-eyed boy gulped.

"What? What is it?" Meiling was now getting impatient. "What did he say?"

"He said…" Li paused for a moment. "…In order to keep the provider happy and fruitful, he'll need a sacrifice."

"Let me guess. _We're_ the sacrifice."

"…Yeah."

"Well, what's he gonna do? Cut us open? Drop us down a volcano?"

"He's going to cook us then feed us to the tribe."

Meiling took this into consideration and shook her head. "No, I don't think so."

The two then managed to break through their ropes and double-teamed the men with spears, stealing their weapons and immobilizing them completely. They swung their weapons around and thwarted off every man sent in by the tribal chief.

"You're going to take us to that temple and like it!" Li commanded.

"_Goriga." _The chief said.

"Say what?" Li was confused.

"Goriga." The chief repeated.

Soon everyone started to chant the name in a slow and steady motion. _"Goriga. Goriga. Goriga…"_

"What are they going on about?" Meiling asked.

"I don't know." Li shrugged.

Just then, they heard a loud thudding footstep creep up behind them. The two slowly turned around and looked up to see a tall, young native completely built up with muscle and a face that would scare the ugliest of uglies.

"Looks like things are about to get violent around here, Li." Meiling said to her cousin.

"I think you're right…" Li nodded.

The two glanced at each other, nodded then fell to their knees and pleaded for mercy. "Please! Don't kill us!" They cried.


	10. Reunion

CHAPTER TEN

The villagers gathered around a large bonfire and chanted alongside the beating drums as Li and Meiling dangled from a tree, tied together. The fire was slowly burning but the two cousins could feel the flames getting closer to them. Li jerked his body and managed to swing them both around like a pendulum.

"What are you doing, Li!?" Meiling panicked.

"I'm trying to use the friction of that branch to cut the rope!" He answered.

The chief laughed, mocking their pitiful attempt to escape. The villagers laughed as well and continued to chant and beat on the drums, awaiting for the two to meet their demise.

"Stop that!" Li ordered the tribe but they would not listen. "Okay, that's it!"

The boy slipped out an ofuda from under his sleeve and called upon his magic. "God of Fire, answer my call!"

"Li!" Meiling tried to warn her cousin.

"Huh?" Li then realized the mistake he had just made. "Oh, shit!"

The Fire attack burst out of the ofuda and made the pillar of wood burn even faster. The two then started to swing back and forth while Li wailed with each return. The tribe laughed even harder as some went as far as dropping to the floor.

"That's… not… funny!" Li said with each swing across the bonfire.

¬¬¬¬¬

Above the clouds and at the head of the beach, a magic wormhole started to form in the sky. A few sparks of electricity later and the WarHawk came zooming out as Eriol held his hand out from inside the plane, keeping the portal open. Once the wormhole closed, the pilots safely landed the jet on the muddy sand as its crew walked down the exit ramp.

Sakura looked around and could feel the wind gently blowing against her. "Something's not right." She said.

"What do you mean? What's wrong?" Kero wondered aloud.

Sakura shook her head. "I don't know."

Eriol hurried down the ramp and looked around the beach until he saw the huge jungle straight ahead. "Over there." He pointed out. "The temple should be well hidden in the caves within the jungle."

"Well, you guys go ahead." Touya said. "Me and Yuki will stay with the WarHawk."

"We will?" Yuki asked.

"But…" Sakura started. "What if we need Yue?"

"Don't worry, Sakura." Eriol stepped in. "It shouldn't be that dangerous. We'll be in and out before you know it."

Tomoyo took out her camera and adjusted the settings as Kero and Spinel flew into her bag. The young girl looked at them and smiled. "Aw, don't tell me you're afraid of going in there."

"I'm not." Kero said as he pointed at Spinel. "_He_ is."

"That's pretty sad for someone who can transform into a large, magical beast."

Spinel bowed his head in shame. "I… I have a bladder problem. Transforming only makes it worse…"

Tomoyo chuckled nervously and walked over to Sakura. "Okay, I didn't need to know that."

¬¬¬¬¬

Li and Meiling continued swinging from the tree as the fire only got bigger. The young boy then tried one last attempt and hurled himself and his cousin along the bonfire, kicking it down with all his might. 

"Yes!" He exclaimed. "All right, Meiling! Let's break through these ropes!"

"Okay!" Meiling nodded.

Gathering up all their strength, the two strained against the tight binding ropes and pushed forward, their faces almost turning red. The villagers started shouting in protest and called on the chief to interfere. The man held up his spear and attempted to jab the two in an attempt to kill them. Luckily, they were quick enough to dodge every move and eventually break free from the ropes. As they landed on the ground, several more native warriors came rushing up to them, armed and ready.

"Oh, it never ends!" Meiling whined.

Li then picked up one of the burning logs from the fallen bonfire and swung it around, scaring back the men. "C'mon! You don't want some of this man! Don't mess with me! I'm _really_ stressed out right now!"

Li dropped the torch and spread the flame with his magic. "Meiling! Cave! Now!" He ordered her.

The two quickly escaped their primitive captors and headed for the caves that were waiting behind the many huts and bushes of the village. Once inside, Li took out another ofuda and lit the room up with its flame.

"Are they following us?" Meiling asked, out of breath.

"I don't know." Li shrugged as he slowly walked along the rocky floor. "If they're guarding it, there'd better be a damn good reason."

"What's that?" Meiling pointed out across the trail, which led to a small circle of light.

"That's probably where the Heart of Gold is. Let's go."

¬¬¬¬¬

Deep within the jungle, Sakura, Tomoyo, Nakuru and the guardians closely followed Eriol as he navigated through the area.

"Who is this Xiang Zhou guy anyway?" Nakuru asked.

"He was a loyal follower of Clow Reed's." Eriol answered. "He helped defend this island from the Red Knight and when he died, the natives built a temple for him in his honor. After all the Demon Knights were put away, Clow Reed chose Zhou's temple as a hiding place for the Red power gem. Within the Heart of Gold."

"Heart of Gold?" Sakura pondered.

"One of the relics Clow Reed created to seal away the Red Knight. All of the Knights had their own system of entrapment. The Blue Knight, for example, was buried in a rocky tomb next to Faust."

"And the Blue gem somewhere on his person…" Sakura concluded.

Eriol nodded. "Yes. The Knights and their gems are inseparable unless commanded by the wielder of the Sangria Gauntlet."

"Then I guess we have no choice but to destroy them."

"Or keep them well hidden."

"Yeah, well good luck with that." Tomoyo said, looking through her video camera.

"What do you mean?" Eriol asked.

Just then, Eriol was swooped up from the ground and taken for a ride with the Blue Knight. The demon warrior growled at Eriol as he held onto the boy's shirt and rode around on his horse through the sky.

"Clow Reed…" The flaming skull hissed.

Nervous, Eriol tried to think of something to avoid the Demon's wrath. "Uhh… uh… The number you have reached is no longer in service. Please hang up and try again."

Furious, the demon hurled Eriol back down to the surface, where a painful death awaited him. Luckily, Spinel in his beast form, caught his master and landed him to safety.

"Thank you, Spinel Sun." Eriol sighed with relief.

"Yeah, yeah!" The panther moaned as he went behind the bushes to relieve himself. "Oh, God! It hurts! Damn stones!"

Sakura then shot up into the air, using the Fly card and faced the Demon Knight in its flaming eye. "The Blue Knight…" She said to herself.

As the skeletal horse snorted out a blue flame, the rider slowly took out his sword and pointed it at the young girl. "You are a follower of Clow Reed."

She shook her head. "No. He's dead. Clow Reed has been dead for years."

"Then you shall die with him."

The Knight charged forward but was immediately taken aback by an energy blast unleashed by Sakura. The Knight was surprised at the young girl's power and carefully put some distance away from her.

"Now don't tell me you're scared of a little girl like me!" Sakura teased.

¬¬¬¬¬

Li slowly walked up the steps of the shrine and examined the gold disc engraved with ancient scriptures and small hearts encircling the red gem in the center.

"The Heart of Gold…" He whispered to himself.

Li reached for the disk and carefully removed it from the stone platform that had been made especially for the artifact.

Meiling put her hand on her face, shaking her head with disbelief. "Oh, you stupid son of a…"

"What?" Li was confused by her sudden reaction. "I got the Heart of Gold, didn't I?"

"Li, don't you think that was a bit too easy? There's bound to be a few traps waiting for us now!"

"What do you mean?"

Suddenly, an arrow shot through the air, barely missing Li's head by a few centimeters. The boy fiddled with the wooden stem of the arrow and nodded his head calmly. "Yeah. We should get out of here."

Moments later, the two were running out of the cave, screaming as several more arrows plagued the walls, shooting from across one another. They jumped onto a pile of bushes and sighed from relief as they heard a rumbling sound coming from within.

"Li?" Meiling asked. "It's not over, is it?"

"Uhh, well…" He then saw a huge cloud of dust blow through the cave's entrance, indicating the collapse of the temple.

"Li?"

"Yeah." Li sighed. "It's over."

As they got up, they turned to see them surrounded yet again by the natives and their cannibalistic chief, who was now furious over the decimation of their temple.

"Meiling?" Li started.

"Yes, Li?"

"Leg it."

In what seemed to be a repetitive course of action for the two, Li and Meiling found themselves running through the jungle in an attempt to return to the Dragon Boat.

"Li! We just pissed off a group of cannibals!" Meiling shouted as she tried to keep up with the boy.

"Oh, really!? Is _that_ what we did!?" He sarcastically called back. "Geez! No wonder they're chasing us!"

¬¬¬¬¬

Sakura tumbled along the dirt and grass as the Demon set his sights on Eriol and the guardians. "Followers of Clow Reed must die…" He hissed.

"Oh, right! You wish, pal!" Cerberus said as he tackled the rider to the ground. The demonic horse then defended its master by head-butting the lion and unleashing a blue flame from its mouth.

"Oh, you wanna play with fire, huh!?" The sun guardian said as he took a deep breath. "Play with _this_!"

Soon a flurry of blue and orangey flames flickered in the middle of the air as Cerberus and the skeleton horse engaged in battle.

"It is useless to resist." Said the Knight. "Death is the only way out."

"Does he ever get tired of hearing himself talk?" Sakura asked Eriol.

Eriol shrugged. "He's dead. What else is there to do?"

Tomoyo then noticed something heading their way as she looked ahead with her camera. "Hey, wait a minute…" 

Li and Meiling came running past the group, completely aware of the situation that was now taking place.

"Hi, Sakura! Hi, Tomoyo! Hi, Eriol!" Meiling said as she ran by.

"Meiling!?" Sakura was surprised to see her.

"Sakura!" Li said as he ran towards them.

"Li!" Sakura's face now lit up with joy.

The Demon Knight stuck out his arm and caused Li to run into it, flipping him over in the process. The Heart of Gold then flew out of his hand and into the Knight's.

"No!" Everyone shouted.

The flames on the Blue Knight grew even stronger as he got on his horse and rode away, laughing maniacally. "You fools!" He called out to them.

"He got away with the gem!" Kero said back in his doll form.

Eriol looked down and sighed. "We failed."

Sakura kneeled over Li and woke him up. Startled, the boy searched himself for the gold plate and realized it was now out of his hands.

"No…" He said to himself with disappointment. He then looked up to see Sakura smiling at him. "Sakura!"

The two quickly embraced each other with joy and kissed with tremendous passion as everyone shyly watched on.

"Aww…" Tomoyo said as she filmed the whole thing.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" Li asked.

"Me? What are _you_ doing here? You were supposed to come back home!" She reminded him.

Li then suddenly remembered his mother and sisters back in Hong Kong. "Home? Oh, God. We have to go back to Hong Kong."

"What? Why?"

"My family. I think something bad has happened."


	11. Return To The Li Clan

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Hours later, the WarHawk had landed in the courtyard of Li's home where the shrine used to be. As the team exited the jet, they were all in shock from what they saw before them. Piles of rock, broken asphalt and small flickers of fire were all that remained of the once beautiful center of the Li clan home.

"No…" A very disturbed Li said as he looked around the damage, desperately trying to spot his family. "My family… where… oh, God…"

Sakura looked down and put her hand on his shoulder. "Li, I'm so sorry."

"They can't be dead. They can't…"

Just then, Li's sister Fanren approached the group from inside the house. She ran over to her brother and hugged him tight.

"Are you all right?" She asked him.

Li nodded. "Yes. Are you?"

"I'll be fine."

"Is everyone okay? Did anyone--"

"They're all fine, Li. We just took a beating is all."

Inside the house, which was luckily still intact, Sakura and her friends stood idly by as Li and Meiling went around, making sure their relatives were all right. Shiefa, who had suffered the wall collapsing on her, only had a sprained back and broken leg. Fuutei, Li's first eldest sister, only suffered minor bruising along her body and had a twisted ankle. As for his other two sisters, Feimei and Fanren, they only experienced minor cuts along their bodies and were able to move around more.

"What about mother?" Li asked.

"She'll be all right for now. I had to give her something to dull the pain." Feimei explained.

"What happened to her?"

"I'm afraid she got the worst of it."

"That skeleton thing kept asking where the red gem was. But mother never told him." Fanren added. "He just beat her senseless until he did a mind meld with her."

"So the Blue Knight _didn't_ know where the gem was?" Eriol asked.

"Mistakes have been made." Said Sakura. "And now we have to go back and fix them before it's too late."

"It may already _be_ too late." Yelan said as she slowly entered the room. Her face was badly bruised and her body almost broken but she still managed to walk on her own.

"Mom, what are you doing up?" Li said to her. "You should be resting."

"I had to see if you were okay."

"I'm… I'm sorry I lost the gem."

"You're here now. That's all that matters."

"All right, so what do we do now?" Kero asked as he flew over Sakura's head. "Track down the Blue Knight and hope to God he doesn't release the Red Knight?"

"By this time he probably already has." Eriol said to the doll. "I see no alternative but to wait it out until all of the Knights are revived."

"What!?" Everyone screamed, surprised by Eriol's decision.

Li then grabbed Eriol by the shirt and pinned him against the wall. "Listen, Hiiragizawa!"

"Y-yes?" The blue-eyed boy was now intimidated.

"I am _not_ going to just sit around and wait for more of those things to come back and hurt the people I love! We need to come up with another plan! A _better_ one!"

"It's useless, Li! I don't even know where the other gems are!"

"You have Clow Reed's memories, don't you!?"

"Yes but not all of them!" 

"Damn it!" Li let go of Eriol and let out a frustrated sigh.

"Li, I know you've been through a lot." Sakura said. "But I think the best thing for us to do right now is get some rest."

Li nodded and stroked his face. "Yeah, you're right. Come on. I'll show you guys to the guest rooms."

¬¬¬¬¬

Somewhere in an undisclosed location, the Blue Knight slowly got off his demonic horse and held out the Heart of Gold. The red gem then started to glow as the Knight read aloud the scripture encircling the plate.

"_Filhos de obscurum desperte . Cubo quicumque foi captus. Nisi vestri rabies. Nisi vestri vires. Exsisto existo quondam iterum. Everto Miles militis._"

Seconds later, sparks of electricity surrounded the plate as it levitated out of the Blue Knight's hands. Then, a being of pure energy draped itself over the Heart of Gold as the red gem remained in the center, glowing with an intense light. Afterwards, a skeletal being no bigger than the Blue Knight found himself facing his equal and admired the crimson armor surrounding his bony limbs. The blood red flames surrounding the skull slowly flickered and swayed with the wind as the warrior's scythe was unleashed.

"Welcome, my friend." The Blue Knight said. "The time has come for us to reestablish our band of brothers and lay waste upon those who are loyal to Clow Reed."

"Death to the humans." The Red Knight growled.

"You know where the others rest."

"I do." The Knight nodded as his own red-flamed horse appeared from a stormy cloud. The two riders mounted on their ghost stallions and rode off into the sky, in search of the remaining two Demon Knights.

¬¬¬¬¬

Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, Spinel and Kero slowly followed Li down the hall of his home. Touya, Yukito and Nakuru were already shown to their rooms and were probably fast asleep by then. As they walked, Li still couldn't figure out the warning his mother had told him.

"Demon's might is the Demon Knight." Li repeated. "It doesn't make any sense."

"Of course it does." Eriol told him. "It was merely a warning of their arrival."

"Yeah but 'On the darkest day lies a sacrifice'? What the hell does that mean?"

"Could it be something like the Void card?" Sakura suggested. "A sacrifice of total emotion and memory?"

"Oh, who cares!? I say we sacrifice Spinel! Maybe _that'll_ do the trick!" Kero joked.

"Damn you!" Spinel snapped. "You never liked me! Admit it, Kero! You never, _ever_ liked me!"

"You're right. I never did like you."

"You cold, unfeeling bastard!" He started to sob. "I'm ugly, aren't I!? Is that it!?"

"Well, I was just--"

"Don't look at me."

"Oh, come on!"

"I said don't look at me!" Spinel then flew off, crying like a baby.

"Jesus, what a baby! Sakura! Sew me up some stubs! I have a serious need to give someone the finger!"

"Maybe later, Kero." Sakura yawned. "I really need to get to sleep."

"You and me both." Tomoyo followed. "My camera's running low on juice. I need to put her to bed."

The group stopped at the doorway of one of the rooms, which Li unlocked with a key. Upon opening it, he motioned for the girls to enter.

"You two can sleep in here." He told them. "Eriol and I will stay in _my _room."

"We will?" A disturbed Eriol asked.

"Yeah." Li looked back with a grin. "Although I can't promise to prevent any unfortunate accidents from befalling you."

"Okay then!" Tomoyo said as she gave Li a hug. "Good night, Li!"

"Uh… g-good night…" He responded confusingly.

"Good night, Eriol." Tomoyo said to the boy, weakening him in the knees.

"Good night." He responded confidently.

Sakura wrapped Li in a hug and whispered in his ear. "Don't worry about what your mother said. If worse comes to worse, I know we'll pull through."

"But how can you be sure?" He wondered aloud.

"Because I have you with me." She then kissed Li, releasing all of her passion she had saved up from the time he was gone. At last she was back in his arms, where she felt safe and loved. Of course, as you all know, Li was feeling the exact same way.

"Oh, God…" Kero moaned. "Get a room."

**_NOTE: THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY DOES NOT PROMOTE UNDERRAGE SEX. REPEAT. THE AUTHOR OF THIS STORY DOES NOT PROMOTE UNDERRAGE SEX… AT LEAST NOT WITHOUT PARTY MIX. IF YOU HAVE A PROBLEM WITH THIS ISSUE, CONTACT THE AUTHOR VIA REVIEW OR PERSONAL E-MAIL AND SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS. THAT IS ALL. _**


	12. A Strange Welcome Back

CHAPTER TWELVE

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, sorry for that last note. It was just a joke. I don't give a crap what age you are. Just… oh, forget it! Just read the story. Oh, and in case some of you are confused or just didn't plain listen to me before... this story takes place a year and a half after the 2nd movie. So Sakura and Li are well into their early teens. As for the whole marriage thing? It's kind of a Chinese traditon to arrange a marriage at an early age. Y'know, kind of like how Meiling asserted her engagment to Li back in the old days? Phew. Thank God that never happened, eh? Everyone caught up? 'Cuz I'm not...**_

Rudolph desperately tried to avoid the bullets Santa was shooting at him but to no avail. The red-nosed reindeer finally fell along the red, slushy ice and gazed up at his former master, who was loading another round into his rifle. Then, with a tear in his eye, Rudolph asked him, "W-why?"

"Why!?" The fat man hacked. "Because I said so!"

And with the pull of the trigger, the reindeer--

_**OH, HELL NO! WE AIN'T GOING THROUGH THIS SHIT AGAIN! CHANGE STORIES NOW!**_

Sorry. Gimme a sec…

_**PLEASE WAIT A MOMENT WHILE THE AUTHOR CHANGES STORIES. IN THE MEANTIME, WE ENCOURAGE YOU TO POP IN A CD, OPEN A BAG OF YOUR FAVORITE JUNKFOOD OR ANYTHING THAT MIGHT HELP YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER TO THE FULLEST EXTENT. THANK YOU.**_

The next morning found Touya and Yukito readying the jet as everyone loaded their belongings onboard. Li spoke one last time with his mother about the matter concerning his future with Sakura.

"You're sure about this?" She asked him.

"Yes." The boy said as he watched Sakura board the WarHawk. "I want to marry her. I love her. I don't care how long I have to wait. As long as it happens one day."

"Then it shall. Pending her father's approval, of course."

"That'll be my next challenge." He gulped. The boy then hugged his mother and kissed her good-bye, eventually boarding the jet with his friends.

Inside the plane, Kero and Spinel hovered around the cockpit and watched the pilots fiddle around with their instruments.

"Hey, what's _that_ button do?" Kero pointed out.

"Don't touch it." Yuki brushed the doll away.

"Okay." The doll paused for a moment then pointed out another object. "How 'bout that? What is that?"

"Kero, do you mind? I'm trying to pilot this thing."

"Am _I_ annoying you?" Spinel asked.

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You're positive."

"Yes."

After an awkward pause, Spinel wanted to make absolutely sure. "Because if I'm annoying you, you can tell me!"

"I know that!" Yuki started to lose his patience.

"I'm annoying you, aren't I?"

"Well, _now _you are!"

"Will you guys knock it off!?" Touya snapped.

"Yeah, give 'em hell Touya!" Kero cheered.

"You shut up! Go find a teddy bear to hump or something!"

"How dare you!?" Kero growled.

"Yeah, you know he likes bunny rabbits!" Spinel joked.

"Oh, you son of a--!" Kero tackled the cat to the floor and started beating the crap out of him.

Everyone else could hear the ruckus going on inside the cockpit and laughed. After a while, Sakura looked over to Eriol to ask him something.

"Eriol?" She started.

"Yes, Sakura?" The blue-eyed boy looked at her.

"What do you expect the Demon Knights will do once they're all revived?"

"I don't know. We have to find some way of sealing those things away before more people get hurt."

"How did Clow Reed do it?"

"With his magic staff. And I'm afraid, Sakura, yours is long gone."

"There has to be another way."

"I wish there was."

Li shook his head. "How can we beat something that won't stay down?"

¬¬¬¬¬

Hours later, the WarHawk landed on the private airfield, where a large group of fanatics awaited the group. Upon her descent down the ramp, Sakura was immediately swamped with people holding posters, pictures, albums and various other objects, asking for Sakura's autograph.

"Sakura! Sakura!" Several shouted.

"Sign my poster, please! Sakura?" A young girl asked.

Another young girl waved her doll in the air. "Sakura! Sign this! Please, Sakura! Please!"

"Sakura, will you sign my burrito!?" A man dangled a greasy wrapper around.

As the young girl found herself completely surrounded, she decided she had no choice but to appease her adoring fans. She was uncomfortable with all the attention but she didn't want to seem rude.

Just then, Sonomi walked through the crowd and shooed them all away. "Okay, that's it! Go home! Go! C'mon!" She clapped her hands to scare them away. "Let's go! Go away! Hapaya! Hapaya! Go! Now!"

"Ms. Daidouji, I thought this was a _private_ airfield." A worn out Sakura said.

"Oh, I know. But one of my men thought he could make a quick profit by having you sign things upon your arrival."

"Oh."

"Don't worry. I sacked him."

"You didn't have to."

"Good. I didn't."

"Sakura!" Fujitaka appeared from behind several of the gatherers.

The young girl rushed over to her father and hugged him tightly. "Dad…" She said happily.

"Sakura, there's somebody I'd like you to meet."

Christopher Lorca stepped from behind Fujitaka and shook the young girl's hand. "Sakura Kinomoto. A pleasure to meet you at last. Your father can't stop talking about you."

"Nice to meet you, sir."

"And you as well. So I hear you're going to appear at the Kibou Festival this weekend."

"Y-yes…" Sakura had almost forgotten about it.

"Would you like to meet my employer?"

¬¬¬¬¬

Inside the Kanaye office building, Sakura, Li, Eriol and Tomoyo walked around the halls as Hiroshi Kanaye personally gave them a tour.

"You see, Sakura, we are the leading company in military and domestic technology. My father started the company when I was a young boy and I have continued his legacy for several years now." The businessman said.

"Then why do you need me to help boost sales?" Sakura thought aloud.

"Oh, it isn't just that. Our investors fear we've lost our touch with the public domain and so we're reaching out to a whole new level by having you appear as the guest of honor." He said with a wink in his eye.

"Guest of honor?" Li asked.

"Not to worry, Mr. Syaoran. You and the rest of the team will be given your due credit."

"Team?" Tomoyo said with that starry look in her eye. "He called us a team!"

Hiroshi thought for a moment. "Well _I'd_ say you are. You've got those winged creatures following you around, don't you? And with Mr. Hiiragizawa and Li's cousin Meiling, I'd say you're an _unstoppable_ team at best."

"How did you know Meiling and I were cousins?" Li asked the man.

"News travels fast." The 40 year old pointed out to a nearby news rack with Meiling and Li's faces on the cover of a newspaper.

"Mr. Kanaye?" Sakura said shyly.

"Yes, Sakura?"

"What kind of projects have _you_ been working on?"

"Well…" The man led them into a testing lab, where several scientists in white coats worked on various projects. "In our medical department, we have come up with something quite extraordinary."

Li noticed one of the files sitting on a desk and read the label aloud. "Project Genesis? What's that?"

Kanaye headed for a table and picked up small vial of blue liquid. He slowly approached the group and gently raised the vial in front of them. "Almost ten years of research have gone into making this one vial. And if things go right with our investors, it'll be ready for mass development."

"What is it?" Sakura asked.

"This, my dear Sakura, happens to be the key to everlasting life. Or at least we hope."

Eriol raised his eyebrow, somewhat doubting the man's statement. "Everlasting life?"

"Imagine facing death right in the eye and telling him to piss off. That's what this is. Instant rebirth. We're calling it the Genesis Elixir."

"The Genesis Elixir…" Tomoyo suddenly felt a chill run down her spine. "I don't think I like the sound of that."

"And why not, my dear? Put simply, it creates life from lifelessness."

"And what if it's used on something that's already alive?" Sakura asked the man straight up.

Kanaye was stumped, seeing as he'd never thought about it. "I… I don't know. But that's why we have test trials."

"Well, I hope you're successful."

"So do I."

Just then, one of the security guards from the building rushed over to Kanaye. "Sir! Sir!"

"Yes, what is it?"

"The train station in downtown Tomoeda is under attack! I think some people have been reported as injured."

"Tragic. Why tell me?"

"Because, sir. It's one of _our_ trains."

"Oh, dear God." The scientist then turned his attention to Sakura and her friends. "I hate to ask you this…"

"You don't have to." Sakura said with a grin. "We're already on it."

"We are?" Li joked.

"Oh yeah." Sakura flipped through her cards then returned them to her bag. "All right, guys. Let's go clean up the city."


	13. Rise Of The Tokyo Knights

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Funny thing happened when I woke up this morning. I noticed it was snowing outside. It NEVER snows in Texas! Well… maybe every few years but y'know. No, the best part was when I checked my e-mail and was taken aback by all the positive feedback I had gotten from this story and the previous one. For a moment, I went WTF!? Where did these come from!? But I've never been one to look a gift horse in the mouth so I just wanna say thanks! It really makes this writing thing worthwhile. Anyway, here's the next chappie. Enjoy!_**

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

The train station in downtown Tomoeda was indeed being under attack by a group of unknown assailants dressed in a strange, militaristic fashion. Their machine guns, heavy armor and sensor masks were enough to make everybody in the station obey their every command.

"Down on the floor, now!" The supposed leader of the group ordered. He then turned to two of his men and signaled them to take some hostages.

"Come here!" One of the men said as he grabbed a young girl, who was crying with fear. The man in the mask then cocked his gun and pointed it at her head.

The leader then called out to everyone in the station. "All right, listen up! We're looking for card captor Sakura! If you don't tell me who she is or where I can find her, this young girl is going to die in the three seconds!"

"You don't know who card captor Sakura is!?" Someone called out to him.

"…I, uhh… No."

"What, have you been living under a rock or something!?"

"Shut up!" The man shot a few rounds up in the air. "Who are you!?"

Sakura arose from the floor using the Through card and waved at the menace. "Card captor Sakura! Isn't _that_ a coincidence!?"

"Oh shit…"

The man pointed his gun at the girl but Sakura proved to be too fast for him. Using the Dash and Power cards, Sakura tackled the man to the floor and broke his gun in half then turned her attention to the rest of the criminal organization.

The man with the hostage remained still, his gun still pointed at the young girl's head. "Don't even think about it, kid." 

He then felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned around and saw Li, Cerberus and Spinel Sun grinning at him.

"Hi there." Li said with a smirk. "Want to put the gun down or do you want to rassle?"

"Or do you want to come over for lunch?" Cerberus smacked his lips.

Frightened, the criminal dropped his weapon and put his hands in the air. "Okay, you win! Please… don't hurt me." 

Spinel then noticed a wet spot on the man's pants. "Hey, look! Guess I'm not the only one with a bladder problem anymore! Hehe…" He then paused for a moment as a sharp pain kicked in. "Oh, crap. I'll be back!"

Just then, a loud explosion blew down one of the walls of the station, revealing a second group of the masked men. They started shooting everywhere, not caring who got in their way.

"Well, that sucks…" Sakura said as she took out another card. "Shield!"

The magic Shield protected the innocent bystanders from the hailing gunfire as Sakura regrouped with her team to come up with a plan.

"What now!?" Cerberus asked.

"Well…" Sakura took out yet another card. "We fight! Duh!"

Eriol came onto the scene waving his magic staff and melting the ground the men stood on. Ruby Moon and Yue swept up a few men and hurled them across the station, immobilizing them for a while.

Sakura swung the Sword card around, blocking every attack sent towards her and managed to take out several of the men. Tomoyo and Meiling suddenly appeared from within the crowd and began taking down some of the gunmen much to their joy and excitement.

"Yes! I've been waiting to bust some skulls!" Meiling said as she punched out one of her opponents.

Tomoyo dodged the gunfire being shot at her as she ran into her assailant and literally kicked his teeth in. She then grabbed him by the shoulders and hurled his body against one of the support pillars of the station and kneed him in the stomach.

"Oh, my…" She said out of breath. "That was kind of fun…"

As Sakura rolled along the ground continuing her use of the Sword card, she met up with Li and quickly pecked him on the lips. "Together again, huh?"

"I wouldn't miss it!" Li said with a smile as he and Sakura fought back to back.

Suddenly, a sharp pain fell into Sakura's arm, causing her to scream and fall to the floor. Li hurried to her side and noticed a dart had been shot at her and quickly took it out.

Sakura examined the dart and practically growled. "A dart!?" She then looked up to see a sniper hiding on top of the train. "Are you freaking kidding me!?"

Enraged, Sakura engulfed her body once again with the Fire card and used the Jump to leap to her assailant's level. The sniper panicked and started to run along the top of the train but Sakura quickly caught up to him and set the area ablaze. Restoring back to her normal form with the Power card still fused in her, Sakura lifted the sniper with one arm and waved the dart around with the other.

"A tranquilizer!?" She snapped. "What the hell do I look like to you? A _horse_!?"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry!" The sniper started to cry.

"I can't hear you!"

"I said I'm sorry!"

"Good! Now say I'm your mama!"

"What!?"

"Do it!"

"You're my mama and I'm mama's bitch!"

"Ooh, nice save!" Sakura grinned. "Okay, I won't beat you up! But you're still going to jail, okay?"

As the fight continued, Ruby and Yue shielded the civilians from the gunfire and led them back to the surface. Several police officers were already at the scene, taking some of the men into custody and taking the innocents to safety.

Tomoyo whacked one of the gunmen around with his own weapon, unaware that another one stood across from her, ready to shoot. Eriol noticed this and quickly sent forth an electric attack, knocking the man unconscious and startling Tomoyo at the same time.

"Eriol?" She looked at him.

"You have to be more careful." He told her. "He was going to shoot you and you didn't even know it."

Tomoyo looked down on the man and kicked him in the stomach. "Trying to pull a fast one on me, huh!?"

The man struggled to turn over on his back and slowly took out a small remote. He lifted a switch and pressed the button that was below it.

"Nap time!" Tomoyo said as she finally kicked the man upside the head.

The sound of a distant boom caught everyone's attention as one of the trains sped through the tunnel, missing its designated stopping point.

"Wait a minute." Li said. "Something's not right."

¬¬¬¬¬

"Who the hell has a heart attack while steering a train!?" A very frustrated Terada yelled. He could see the conductor collapsed on the floor with his hand over his chest and face frozen still in pain.

"Shit! Shit! Shit! We're all gonna die!" The teacher screamed as he ran along the aisles of the train. Everyone looked around, scared and wondering if what the man was saying was true.

Terada then tried to open one of the doors, only to find it was magnetically sealed. "Terada wants out! Out I say!"

One of the passengers looked through the window and could see the conductor lying on the floor. He then noticed the tracks ahead of them as the train headed outside and could see a large gap headed their way.

"Oh no!" The man gasped. "The tracks have been demolished! We _are_ gonna die!"

"Ha! Told you!" Terada quipped. "Wait a minute… Noooo!"

As the train sped along whatever remained of the tracks, Sakura and her friends rushed out of the station to see exactly where it was going.

"I don't see anything." Meiling said.

Just then, a girlish scream emanating from within the train pointed out the direction of the tracks as it headed for the heart of the city.

"Was that Mr. Terada?" Sakura wondered aloud.

"Sakura!" Yue called out from the sky. "The tracks on that train have given out. One of those men must have destroyed it during our confrontation."

Tomoyo struck the perpetrator in the back of his head. "It was _you_, wasn't it!?"

Sakura threw her bag on the floor and fused herself with the Fly card then turned to the police. "Get as many people out of the streets as possible."

"Can you stop that thing?" One of the cops asked.

"What, are you kidding? I'm Card Captor Sakura. I can stop _anything_!" She said with a wink in her eye.

"Do you require assistance?" Yue asked.

"Yeah. Go find Spinel?"

"Spinel?"

"Check the porta-potties." In an instant, Sakura took off in the air at an incredible speed and chased after the runaway train. The people looking up in the sky cheered the young girl on as she did her thing.

Sakura flew alongside the train, activating the Power, and could see the gap up ahead. She quickly averted herself at the front of the train and stuck her arms out, trying to bring it to a stop.

"Sakura!" Terada called out to the girl. "I swear if you get me out of here alive, I'll give you all _A_s for the rest of the year!"

"All _A_s? Hells yeah!" Sakura called back.

Everyone else on the train was relieved that their beloved hero had arrived at last. She used her superhuman strength to slow the train down but noticed the tracks were starting to give out from underneath.

"Oh, crap…" She said as the passengers all shook and fell out of their seats. Another card floated over to Sakura and fused with her.

"Freeze!" She yelled as an icy shell covered her body. As she remained pinned against the forwarding train, Sakura unleashed a set of ice blasts that froze the tracks in place and helped restore the balance.

"C'mon, Sakura! You can do it!" Li called out to her.

Sakura could see the gap approaching and turned her back against the train, still trying to slow it down, and aimed at the void. An entire bridge of ice then filled in the blanks, allowing the train to pass over it with ease and eventually coming to a full stop.

Everyone inside the train as well as those down below on the surface threw their hands up in the air and cheered, calling out the young girl's name. Mr. Terada, who had his eyes closed the whole time, finally opened them and checked himself to see he was alive.

"Oh, thank you Lord. Thank you Jesus. Thank you, thank you, thank you…" He repeated to himself.

Moments later, Li, Eriol, Tomoyo, Meiling and the guardians rounded up the rest of the small terrorist group and handed them over to police custody. Sakura pushed the train all the way back to the station and was greeted by her adoring fans upon opening the door.

"Thank you, Sakura-chan!" A small child said as she hugged her hero.

Just then, Mr. Terada pushed the kid away and put his arms around his student. "Oh, thank you! Thank you! I'll keep my end of the bargain, I swear to you!"

As the passengers exited the train, Sakura regrouped with her friends and wrapped her arms around Li. Unfortunately, the press arrived on the scene and swarmed the group with several lights, cameras and funny looking microphone-thingies.

A female reporter pushed several aside and quickly asserted herself next to Sakura and her friends. "This is _Miranda Veracruz de la Jolla Cardinal _and I'm here in Tokyo, Japan where an unknown group of terrorists attempted to lay waste upon this central train station for reasons unknown. The tracks that lead to the city were suddenly demolished and in a strange coincidence, the conductor suffered a fatal heart attack."

"He died!?" Sakura was surprised.

"With me here is Japan's very own superhero, young Sakura Kinomoto! Say hello, Sakura!" She pointed the microphone at the young girl.

"I… what happened? Is this live?" Sakura was suddenly shy.

"Oh, isn't that cute? She's camera shy!"

"No she's not!" Tomoyo blurted out.

The reporter ignored her. "Well, whatever quirks this young girl and her allies may have, one thing is for sure. Wherever there is evil and injustice being done, you can count on Sakura and her friends to answer the call of duty!"

"What call!?" Tomoyo continued. "Stop talking!"

"Yes. Sakura and… and… The Tokyo Knights!"

A photographer stepped up and took a quick shot of Sakura, Li, Tomoyo, Eriol, Meiling and the Guardians giving off a very disturbed look. That same picture would eventually be on the front page of tomorrow's newspaper with the headline: RISE OF THE TOKYO KNIGHTS.


	14. Mixed Emotions

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: … My pants are on fire. Take no alarm. All will be set right. Just read on and if the chapter manages to reach its end then I will have survived this whole ordeal. **_

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Sakura, Tomoyo, Li, Meiling and the rest of the team hung around Eriol's library and went through several books, searching for a loophole that would help them take out the Demon Knights. After hours of researching, they all grew weary and frustrated.

"I don't see anything in here." Sakura said as she closed one of the books. "I guess we'll have to take them out the old fashioned way."

"You mean sealing them away like nothing happened?" Eriol said.

"Well I certainly can't destroy the power gems. Apparently I'm not strong enough."

"I didn't say that."

"You didn't have to."

"Stop putting words into my mouth."

"All right, how 'bout my fist? Will _that_ fit!?"

"I bite, you know!" 

"Oh, yeah? Bite _this_!"

"Bring it!"

Before the two could go at it with each other, Tomoyo and Li held them back, surprised at their sudden attitudes.

"Jesus, and I thought _I_ had a grudge with Hiiragizawa!" Li said as held Sakura back.

"Eriol, what's gotten into you?" Tomoyo asked as the boy averted his attention to her. He stared deep into her eyes, which enabled him to dispose of all his frustration.

"I'm sorry." He told her.

"Well, don't apologize to _me_." She pointed out to Sakura.

"I'm sorry, Sakura."

"Me too." Sakura chuckled nervously.

Spinel and Kero exchanged disappointed glances and shook their heads. "Damn. I really thought they were gonna do it." Kero said.

"Yeah." Spinel sighed. "But we both know Eriol would have taken her out."

"No he wouldn't."

"Yes, he would."

"Are you kidding me? Your master's a pansy!"

"Pansy my ass! _Sakura's_ the wreck!"

"I'll wreck _you_!" Kero pounced on the cat, thus engaging in another silly fight.

"Admit it! Sakura's not as strong as you think she is!"

"Hey!" Sakura yelled.

"No offense, mistress!" Spinel called out as he felt Kero's fisticuffs slamming into his head.

"Forget it, kitty cat! Your master's so in love with Tomoyo, that he's forgotten how to be a decent magician!"

Everyone but Tomoyo and Eriol gasped then tried to avert their attention elsewhere. Sakura grabbed Li by the hand and led him out of the room.

"Uhh, Li? Do you want to give me a hand with my homework?" She nervously asked.

"What homework?" He raised his eyebrow. "We haven't been to school since--"

"Just come with me!" She finally dragged him out.

Meiling and Nakuru grinned and left the room whistling. "We'll see you two later." Nakuru winked.

Despite Kero and Spinel rolling along the floor, beating the crap out of each other, Tomoyo and Eriol were now the only two people in the room. After a long and awkward silence, Eriol decided it best to break the ice.

"Those two say the craziest things, don't they?" He said with a nervous chuckle.

Tomoyo's face was serious, however. She turned away from Eriol and took a deep breath as the two sun guardians continued their bickering.

"How long are we going to do this, Eriol?" Tomoyo asked.

"Do what? What do you mean?"

She turned and faced him with an even more serious look on her face, almost to the point of tearing up. "This… weird cat and mouse game we keep playing with our feelings."

"What feelings?" The blue-eyed boy tried to cover up.

"Don't, Eriol. It's not going to work this time." She then placed her hands over his. "When you're around me, I can feel your tension. Your heartbeat gets irregular and you're always blushing when I look at you."

Eriol's face was now red but he still feigned ignorance. "Really. I have _no _idea what you're going on about."

"Oh no? Then why's your face red?" She grinned.

"I… I have to pee."

"Stop lying to me. It's insulting."

"Tomoyo, what do you want me to say?"

"How you really feel."

He struggled for a bit. "Tomoyo… I…"

She moved in and rested her head on his chest, her eyes closed and ears ready to hear his confession. Eriol smiled and realized there was no better time than now. He gently lifted her head up with his fingers and looked her straight in the eye.

"I love you, Tomoyo." He softly said. "And I know deep down… you love me, too."

Tomoyo smiled and placed her lips over his, releasing all of her emotions into him. Afterwards, she pulled back and assured him. "You're damn right."

As the new couple's lips intertwined again, Kero and Spinel stopped in the middle of their rassling and looked up to see the horrifying sight before them.

"You mean now I have to put up with this, _too_!" Kero growled as he slammed his fist over Spinel's head.

"Hey, time out!" He whined.

Sakura and Li returned to the room and were startled by their discovery. "Oh my God…" Sakura started. "You mean you two finally…"

Tomoyo nodded as she wrapped her arms around Eriol's neck. "I finally got him to do it! And I was right. It _is _more romantic for the guy to go first!"

"What are you talking about" A confused Eriol asked.

"Oh, nothing!"

"Hey, can I see him for a minute?" Li asked as he pulled Eriol away. "Thanks."

Li took Eriol out in the hallway and closed the door to the library. He then placed his hand over the limey boy's shoulder and gave him a very threatening look. "Okay, Hiiragizawa." He started.

"Yes?" Eriol started to panic.

"I'm going to tell you this once. You listening to me?"

"I am."

"If you do anything--And I mean _anything_, to hurt Tomoyo or break her heart… I'm going to personally kick your ass. Slowly. And painfully. Got it?"

"I would never hurt Tomoyo."

"I hope so. For _your_ sake."

¬¬¬¬¬

Hiroshi Kanaye stood in his office and looked out across his 28 story view as Christopher Lorca entered the room. The Spaniard knocked on the door to grab his friend's attention.

"Lorca." Kanaye turned his head. "Did you talk to the girl's father?"

The man nodded. "I did. She's still on for Saturday."

"Thank God. I was afraid yesterday's incident would have scared her off."

"Now you and I both know it's going to take more than a bunch of men with guns to scare someone like Sakura Kinomoto away."

"You're right." Kanaye chuckled. "Is your little surprise ready to go?"

Lorca placed a briefcase on the desk and opened it up, revealing its contents to the businessman. "I'd say it is."

"You'd better be careful, Christopher. You don't know what could go wrong."

"I'm well aware of the risks." The Spaniard closed the briefcase and headed for the door before saying one last thing to his employer. "I'll see you Saturday."


	15. Just Another Day

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Mr. Terada stared at his class as they all sat in their desks, waiting for him to say something. The room had been quiet for almost ten minutes and their teacher didn't say a single word. He just stared at them with an adoring glimmer in his eye, which turned out to be pretty disturbing.

"Bravery…" He finally said. "Never before have I truly understood the meaning of the word. But two days ago that all changed. We have a hero in this room. A real hero."

All of the students turned to Sakura, who was starting to blush. She didn't think her teacher was going to make a big deal out of the whole incident. Just then, Terada brought down a slide screen and started the projector with the remote in his hand.

"And that hero…" He said as he brought up the first slide. "…Is me."

Everyone was taken aback by the photo of Mr. Terada proudly posing before a sunset and the wind blowing in his hair with the top of his shirt unbuttoned. The teacher looked a the obviously forged image of himself and nodded with pride. "Yes. I am a man with few words but when my words must be spoken, I give them meaning."

"_Hoe_…" Sakura sighed as she massaged her head.

"You should have seen me." The teacher continued. "The train was moving faster than the speed of light."

"How is that possible?" Naoko asked. "I mean surely you're exaggerating just a little bit."

"Yeah? How 'bout I flunk you just a little bit?"

Naoko hunched down in her seat. "I withdraw my comment."

"Sakura was doing her part, flying alongside the train but as I saw everyone inside screaming and giving up hope--I knew I had to be the one to raise their spirits. I called out to Sakura and I gave her the encouragement she needed to get us all to safety." The teacher then switched to another slide. It showed a poorly drawn out scale of the train and a stick figure Sakura flying alongside it while a very elaborate sketch of a muscular Terada posed outside the train. The students groaned with disbelief.

"Yes. I was a survivor of what could have been the most tragic accident ever to occur in our city." He sighed admirably, almost tearing up.

"But you weren't the only one." Rika added.

"Yes but I'm the only who matters. Why? Because I'm here. Now. With all of you… sharing my personal tale of survival."

"You didn't do anything!" Takashi blurted out. "Sakura's the one who did all the work!"

"Yeah!" All the students agreed.

"Yes but only because I had the courage to step up and tell her what had to be done." The teacher continued. "You see, children… it takes courage to _en_courage. Understand?"

"No." Chiharu said.

"Yes you do."

"No I don't."

"Yes… you do."

"And here you thought _I _was the liar!" Takashi added.

Like before, Terada chucked an eraser at his student and finally managed to hit him in the face with it. Just then, Kaho stuck her head in the room and rang a bell. "Ten points!" She said then left.

¬¬¬¬¬

After school, Li, Tomoyo and Eriol hung around Sakura's house while Touya and Yuki were out getting the WarHawk detailed. As Sakura and Tomoyo set the table to have tea, Li played with the small box in his pocket. He was sweating immensely and was blushing more than usual as he looked around for Fujitaka.

"Sakura?" He started. "Do you know where your father is?"

"He's still at work, I think." She replied. "Why do you ask?"

Li let go of the box and sighed. "Oh, nothing. Never mind."

Li's plan to announce his engagement to Fujitaka would have to wait yet another day. He wanted to marry his little cherry blossom but he wanted to make absolutely sure his father would approve.

While the four enjoyed their tea and cake, Tomoyo took out a sketchbook and showed the different drawings to Sakura.

"Well?" She started. "What do you think?"

"What are they?" She asked.

"They're my designs for a new battle outfit." She said.

"Oh, God..." Li rolled his eyes. "Here we go..."

"Go ahead. Tell me which one you like and I'll make it."

Sakura studied the sketches. "Well… I don't know…"

"Ooh!" Tomoyo got an idea.

"What?"

"I just had a nifty idea for a hat! It'll go great with _any_ of these designs!"

"Does it really need to come with a hat, Tomoyo?"

"Hmm… maybe you're right. How about I make you a mask?"

"A mask!?" Li shook his head. "That's crazy. Everybody knows Sakura's the one going around saving people!"

"I know that." Tomoyo smiled. "I just thought she could do with a bit of mystique in her ensemble."

"Not a bad idea." Eriol nodded.

"Mystique?" Sakura winced. "Do you really think I need it?"

Tomoyo shrugged. "Who knows? But you'd be a lot like that one man in Gotham City."

Eriol, Li and Sakura all spit out their tea, nearly choking on it from what Tomoyo had just said.

"Oh, forget it!" Sakura said trying to catch her breath. "I'll wear the hat! The last thing I need is people thinking I've gone insane!"

¬¬¬¬¬

Somewhere beneath the ocean, the Blue and Red Demon Knights rode along the water on their skeletal horses. The flames around their skulls were still vibrant and unaffected by their surroundings. After riding down to the bottom of the deep blue, the Knights stumbled upon a mound of rock with an old seashell attached to it.

"_Filhos de obscurum desperte . Cubo quicumque foi captus. Nisi vestri rabies. Nisi vestri vires. Exsisto existo quondam iterum. Everto Miles militis._" The Blue Knight read along the shell.

After a spark of electricity, the shell crumbled and revealed a green power gem. The gem then unleashed a green flame that eventually formed into the third party of the Demon Knights.

"Clow Reed. Dead?" The Knight asked.

"He is." The Blue Knight nodded. "We must find the remaining member of our party and head forth."

"Where?"

"To the surface. Followers of Clow Reed have grown in number."

"And the girl is the strongest one of all." The Red Knight added. "She must be stopped."

"They must _all_ be stopped." The Green Knight said as his battle axe materialized in his hands.

The Green Knight's flaming stallion appeared and carried its master back to the surface as the other two led the way. One more Knight and the attack on the human realm would soon begin.


	16. The Kibou Festival

**_AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh, thank Buddha! The document manager's working again! I'm REALLY SORRY it took me so long to update this story! The doc manager was acting like a lil' bitch and wouldn't let me upload my chappy! But it's a good thing I tried it one last time before I went to bed. Phew! All right, here's the next chapter. Enjoy!_**

**CHAPTER SIXTEEN**

"Welcome to the 59th annual Kibou Festival!" Hiroshi Kanaye greeted his guests. The thousands in attendance all cheered as the festival kicked off with a lightshow in the city park. Several amusement rides, gaming booths, and concession stands were spread amongst the city as a stage stood in the heart of the park.

"And now I'd like to welcome our guest of honor." The businessman continued. "A girl who needs no introduction! Ms. Sakura Kinomoto!"

All of the fanatics, especially the young children, all cheered for their hero as she walked on the stage, wearing a casual outfit. The young girl smiled nervously and waved at the other guests as she spoke into the microphone.

"Uhh…" She started to sweat. "Have… fun?"

They all cheered even louder as the majority of the children all formed in a line, near the stage. Sakura looked over to Kanaye with a confused look.

"What are they doing?" She asked him.

Kanaye then handed Sakura a stack of black and white photos of her and grinned. "Autographs! Have fun indeed, Sakura!"

The music played throughout the city, as everyone enjoyed themselves. Li, Tomoyo, Eriol and Meiling strolled along the thousands of people as they waited for Sakura to finish her celebrity duties.

"Hey, how come they didn't ask _us_ to sign autographs!?" Meiling whined.

"Do you really think that's a good idea?" Eriol asked her.

"Yeah, you're right. Screw it. I have terrible handwriting, anyway."

¬¬¬¬¬

After awhile, Sakura regrouped with her friends as they all headed for a nearby platform, where a crowd was gathering. A contest was about to be taken place and Touya wanted to make sure they would all attend.

"What's this all about, Touya?" Sakura asked her brother.

Touya approached them, almost laughing to death. "You guys gotta see this!"

Everyone turned their attention to the platform as the contest was about to begin. A man in a red and white striped suit stood before a table of five men with trays of hotdogs in front of them.

"Hello and welcome to the Kibou Festival's 3rd annual hotdog eating contest!" The man said through the mike. "These five brave souls are about to gorge themselves with almost 30 pounds of pure weenie goodness! The one to finish the most hot dogs in two minutes will receive the Golden Weenie!" The man held up a gold statue of a hotdog as Touya laughed some more.

"Why are you laughing?" Sakura asked him.

"Because look!" He pointed out to Yukito sitting in the center of the table, wearing a bib.

"Well, I hardly think this seems fair." Li chuckled. "Yuki's an eating machine."

"Precisely…" Touya grinned.

The man in the striped suit continued. "In addition to the Golden Weenie, our winner will receive two tickets to see Barry Manillow live in Shanghai!"

"Don't let me down, Yuki!" Touya shouted.

"All right, gentlemen!" The contest holder pointed out to the clock. "On your marks! Get set… Go!"

With the sound of a bell, Yuki and his four opponents immediately pounced on the steamed weenies as Touya cheered his buddy on. Everyone else watched either in amazement or pure disgust.

"Why am I watching this?" Sakura started to feel sick.

After forty seconds, Yuki reached for a cup of water but Touya snapped his tongue at him. "No water! Weenie! Now!"

"_Buh ahm thirsshlee_…" Yuki said with the food in his mouth.

"Damn it! I need Manillow tickets! Obey me!"

As the contest went on, Kaho and Nakuru met with the group as Kero and Spinel stuck their heads out of their purses.

"A hotdog eating contest?" Kero's mouth started to water. "Oh, man! Why didn't _I _sign up!?"

"I'm sorry the mission didn't go as planned." Kaho said to Sakura.

Sakura looked down and tried not to feel too bad about it. "I guess we were in way over our heads."

"We still are." Nakuru added. She then crept up beside Touya, wrapping her arm around his. "So, Touya… If you win those tickets, are you going to go with anyone special?"

"Oh, shit." Touya then called back to Yuki. "Forget it! Barry's not that important! Concede!"

¬¬¬¬¬

Nearby, Terada walked around the park and reached into his pocket. He then pulled out a flask and took a quick swig when Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko and Rika snuck up behind him.

"Heeeeeeeeeeeyyyy, Mr. Terada!" Takashi startled his teacher.

"Damn it, boy! What the hell's wrong with you!?" The teacher scolded. "You _never_ sneak up on a man on the brink of a nervous breakdown!"

"What's with the music? I like the music! It's pretty music! Do you like music? I like music! Music's fun! Music's nice! Music! Music! Music!" Rika said at a rapid-fire pace, irritating the hell out of her teacher.

"Did you know cavemen invented music after the wheel was made?" Takashi started another one of his lies. "They used the bones of their dead prey as instruments and wrote the song _'Baby I Want Your Love Thing' _in the process."

Terada started to walk away but his students kept following him everywhere. "Go away." He said but they obviously weren't listening.

"Mr. Terada, would you explain that cirrhosis thing again please?" Chiharu asked. "I didn't quite get it."

"That was last week's lesson! We're on digestive tracks now!" He then tried to shoo her away. "Why are you kids following me!? It's Saturday! Go bother your friends! I'm trying to get shit-faced here!"

"What's shit-faced mean?" Naoko asked as she took out a book to try and find a meaning. "I don't see it anywhere in here. Is it good?"

"Hey, I want to be shit-faced!" Rika exclaimed.

"Yeah, me too!" Chiharu added in.

"Come on, everybody! We're all gonna get shit-faced and Mr. Terada's gonna help us!" Takashi blurted out as several parents overheard the exclamation.

"Yamazaki, you little--" Terada attempted to strangle the boy when he was suddenly stopped by a parent.

"Hey! What kind of teacher are you, giving alcohol to kids?" The man shoved Terada.

"Listen, you don't understand! Those aren't kids! They're monsters! I should know! I've spent almost 3 years with them!"

"You're drunk right now, aren't you!?" The man could smell the liquor in Terada's breath.

Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko and Rika all shook their heads in shame as they watched their teacher get the crap kicked out of him.

"I told him not to do it, sir!" Takashi said.

¬¬¬¬¬

"The winner!" The man in the striped suit announced as he raised Yuki's arm in the air. Everyone cheered for the young man, especially Touya, as he wobbled around in a daze.

"Yes! That's the way to do it, Yuki!" Touya clapped immensely.

"Hey, he doesn't look to good." Tomoyo pointed out to Yukito as he was handed the trophy.

Sakura and her friends all helped Yuki down the stairs from the stage as he started to groan in pain. Touya, however, snatched the concert tickets away and snuggled with them close as a 3 year old would to its teddy bear.

"Are you okay, Yuki?" Sakura asked her friend.

"Ohh…" He burped. "… Sakura… I'm… I'm…"

"Pregnant?" Li asked as he noticed Yuki's bulging belly.

"Damn it, Yuki! You overdid it again!" Touya snapped.

¬¬¬¬¬

As everyone enjoyed the festival, Kanaye remained on the stage when he was suddenly approached by his assistant. Sonomi and Fujitaka were close behind.

"Yes, Tochigi? What is it?" The man asked.

"Sir, a Ms. Sonomi Daidouji and Mr. Fujitaka Kinomoto. The girl's father." The young assistant introduced them.

"Mr. Kinomoto. It's an honor to meet you at last." Kanaye said as he shook the man's hand. "Lorca's told me some interesting stories about you."

Fujitaka smiled. "I'm sure he has. Where _is_ Christopher, anyway?"

"Oh, he's around the park somewhere. He's working with security. Of course, with your daughter here, we have all the security we'll need." Kanaye winked as he shook Sonomi's hand.

"Nice to meet you, sir." Sonomi said.

"You must be Tomoyo's mother."

"Yes."

"She's a brave girl, you know. It takes a lot of courage to face the odds without any magical ability to rely on."

"She had a good trainer."

"Li Syaoran, am I correct?"

Sonomi nodded. "Yes, sir."

"Well…" Fujitaka started again. "… It seems like we're all just one big happy family."

"Big? Yes." Kanaye chuckled. "Happy? That's an understatement."

¬¬¬¬¬

Just then, the clouds around the city started to darken and move in together as a loud thundering noise could be heard. The winds then picked up as everyone took shelter for the oncoming storm.

Sakura looked up and could feel an alarming presence as she started to walk away from the group. Li, Tomoyo and the others followed close behind, trying to figure out what was wrong.

"Sakura?" Li called out to her. "Are you all right?"

Sakura's gaze remained on the storm clouds as she pointed out to a bulge forming in the center. "Over there."

"I see it." Eriol said. "And I don't quite like it."

Tomoyo wrapped her arms around Eriol's. "Eriol, I'm scared. What's going on?"

Several cackles of lightning then formed within the clouds as four skeletal riders on their dead horses rode along the dark, windy skies. The Blue Knight's flames ignited as he took out his sword as the Red Knight's flames initiated via his scythe. The Green Knight lit up with the use of his battle axe while the fourth knight swung his chain mace around.

"Looks like old blue brought along some friends." Li said.

The fourth knight revealed his glowing purple flames as he and his comrades continued riding along the skies. Everyone in the park then fled the scene, afraid of the oncoming danger that awaited Sakura and her team.

"Sakura?" Kaho started. "Do you have a plan?"

"Do we ever!?" Spinel pointed out the obvious.

Just then, a bolt of energy shot towards the ground and demolished a nearby concession booth. Sakura and her friends shielded themselves from the debris as Kero's eyes watered.

"They… they destroyed all the funnel cakes!" Kero cried. "You bastards!"

As more and more energy blasts rained down on the park, the citizens of Tomoeda fled at the request of Kanaye. Sakura and her team eventually hid inside a nearby tent as the rain started to pour.

"Okay, so he brought help. So what?" Sakura said as she tried to catch her breath. "We still outnumber them."

"Back to the usual, Sakura?" Li asked.

She nodded with a smile. "Back to business."

_**ANOTHER NOTE: I updated my profile page for those of you wondering who's behind the MASC. Hehehe… sorry. That was stupid. I think you might find something rather surprising. Or not. It's pretty hard to gauge.**_


	17. The Tokyo Knights vs The Demon Knights

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

The Demon Knights swarmed all over the festival grounds, destroying everything in sight. Those who were lucky enough to escape on time were unharmed but many who lagged were mercilessly killed. Fujitaka and Sonomi were taken away by Kanaye's security team as the man himself spoke on a hand-held radio.

"Lorca, this is Kanaye! Do you read me?" He said.

"Lorca here." The Spaniard's voice could be heard through the radio.

"Christopher, are you in range?"

"We're already on it."

"Sakura!" Fujitaka looked around. "Where are our children?"

"Relax, Mr. Kinomoto. I'm sure they're already on the scene." Kanaye reassured the man.

"That's what I'm afraid of." Sonomi sighed.

¬¬¬¬¬

Lorca and his team were already launching a full assault on the Demon Knights but to no avail. Their guns and missiles supplied by the company were all failing against the dark magic of the skeleton riders.

"Keep at it!" Lorca commanded.

A sudden explosion separated the group and sent them flying across the park. The riders then landed on the ground and dismounted from their demonic steeds as the security team writhed in pain.

"Where is the girl?" The Blue Knight asked one of the men as he grabbed him by the neck.

"I… I don't know…" The man strained under the pain.

"You lie…"

"I swear."

"Very well." Furious, the Blue Knight snapped the man's neck and tossed him away. "Those who serve the girl serve Clow Reed! All will be punished!"

Just then, several bolts of lightning pushed the Knights away as Sakura slowly descended from the skies, fused with the Thunder card. She was wearing a black suit and cape Tomoyo had made for her complete with gloves and pants rather than the usual skirt. Her eyes lit up with the card's magical energy as sparks of electricity swarmed around her body.

"Hi. Remember me?" Sakura grinned.

"You!" The Blue Knight immediately took out his sword as the other Knights armed themselves as well.

The Knight swung his weapon at Sakura as she fused with another card. "Power!" Sakura yelled as her body obtained its superhuman strength.

Using all her might, Sakura threw a massive punch which sent the blue-flamed demon flying into its allies. Sakura then took out another card and summoned the Earth spirit's magic by raising a cage of rock over the four Knights.

"Now, Eriol!" She called out.

Eriol, Li, Tomoyo and Meiling appeared from a cloud of mist, all wearing the same type of black suit but without the cape. Eriol unleashed his staff and held it against the rocky prison Sakura had made for the demons as he began to focus his magic.

"Return to your prison state and never return!" He exclaimed. "Demons of old, descend once more unto the--"

Eriol was interrupted as the hull exploded, sending several bits of rock and dirt into the air. The Demon Knights then charged for battle as the guardians arrived to help Sakura and her team.

"Eriol!" Nakuru said as she helped him up. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." He brushed off the dust from his suit.

Li summoned his golden sword as Meiling and Tomoyo tied their hair back, readying for battle. Yue and Cerberus exchanged glances and unleashed the first wave of attack against the demon warriors.

"Your return to the human realm is an unwarranted act." Yue calmly said as he unleashed a flurry of magic shards. "Cease this foolish destruction and return to your prison state."

"Never!" The Red Knight swung his scythe, barely missing Yue's neck.

Yue grabbed hold of the weapon and attempted to swing against the flaming red skull until the Green Knight charged into the moon guardian and sent him rolling along the ground.

"You dirty piece of--" Cerberus' pounce was immediately stopped short as the Green Knight grabbed hold of the lion's neck and hurled him over to Yue.

"Foolish creature." The Green Knight said as he raised his axe.

Before he could swing, Ruby Moon lifted the demon and rammed him into a nearby tree. "No, no, no! That's not nice!" She teased.

Meanwhile, Li swung his blade around and deflected every one of the Purple Knight's swings with its mace. Furious, the Knight formed a ball of purple fire and hurled it towards the young boy.

"Oh, shit…" Li said as he ducked.

Sakura saw the fireball coming towards her and raised her hand, unleashing the Shield bubble. "Are you okay, Li?" She asked him.

"Oh, yeah." He said out of breath.

"So what's the plan!?" Meiling asked as she jump-kicked the Blue Knight out of her way and landed next to the two.

"I'll need you guys to keep 'em busy while Eriol and I conjure up a spell to seal them away." Sakura replied as Eriol and Tomoyo ran towards them. "Do you think you can do that?"

"Sounds like fun." Tomoyo winked.

In an instant, Meiling and Tomoyo double-teamed on the Blue Knight while Cerberus, Yue and Ruby Moon hassled the Purple and Red Knights. Li, meanwhile, did battle with the Green Knight and swung his sword around to block off the creature's axe.

"All right, let me see…" Eriol started as he took out a small book from his pocket. "The spell Clow Reed used all those years ago should be in here."

"Yeah but which one is it?" Sakura asked.

"I don't know, I can't remember. Most of these pages are smeared and it's hard to make out what they're saying."

As they tried to figure out the spell, Cerberus found himself pinned down by the Purple Knight. Yue and Ruby were already occupied with the Red Knight and were therefore unable to assist him.

"You shall not live long, sun guardian." The Knight hissed.

"Oh, great…" Cerberus groaned. "Spinel! Get your ass out here and help me!"

Spinel Sun crouched behind a nearby patch of bushes and stuck his head out in pain. "Look, man. I've got my own troubles, all right?"

"Spinel, this is serious!"

"So is this! Have you ever tried passing a few stones before!? I don't think so! So lay off me!"

"Spinel…" He started to choke. "…Help me…"

"Oh fine!" The panther whined as he unleashed an energy blast towards the Knight.

"Now… was that… so hard?" Cerberus breathed heavily.

Eriol and Sakura looked up to see Li, Tomoyo and Meiling get thrown across the field and into a nearby booth. Concerned, Eriol closed the book and rushed to his beloved's side as did Sakura.

"Tomoyo!" Eriol gently lifted her bleeding head as she lied unconscious.

Li and Meiling, however, shook off their weariness as Sakura sighed from relief. "Damn, those guys are tough…" Li confessed.

Tomoyo eventually came around and could feel the blood slowly running down the side of her head as Eriol helped wipe some of it off. As everyone got up, they could see the guardians backing away from their opponents and hovering in the sky. The Demon Knights proudly stood tall and taunted Sakura and her team.

"You foolish girl." Said the Blue Knight. "Did you really think you could defeat us? You can't kill what's already dead."

"I can try." Sakura said with a deadly stare.

"Yes but can you stop us and protect your adoring fans at the same time?"

"Your fight is with me. Not them."

"The rules of war don't apply to us."

"What war!? What do you want with us!?"

"We want you to die!"

With that said, the Demon Knights all rode off on their horses to attack the innocents that were still scurrying about to safety.

"No!" Sakura took out two cards and directed her attention to her teammates. "I've got to stop them."

"All right, well let's go!" Li started to head off but was immediately stopped in his tracks.

"No, Li. I need you and the others to protect the people and get them to safety while I handle the Knights."

"All of them!?"

"All of them."

"Mistress!" Yue called out as he landed next to her. "You cannot handle the Demon Knights on your own. Surely, Cerberus and I should assist you on this matter."

"I appreciate the concern, Yue. But the last thing I need is for all of you to be the next casualties on the Knights' list. I can handle it." Sakura then held out the two cards and called out their names. "Shield! Lock! Combine now!"

At that moment, the cards lit up and fused into their master as everyone watched eagerly. Soon, Sakura's entire head was shrouded with an indestructible organic metal. She pulled up one of her sleeves and noticed her arm was also shrouded, indicating the transfusion worked.

"Sakura?" Li raised an eyebrow.

"Don't worry. It's still me." She said. "I've been wanting to try this out for a long time. I've still got the Power card fused with me, so I'll be all right. You guys just take care of the civilians. Eriol, keep working on that spell. Got it?"

Everyone exchanged glances and nodded. Sakura then soared off into the air, via Fly card and hurried over to the Knights' current location.

¬¬¬¬¬

Kaho stood before a cowering Mr. Terada as she created a psychic field to protect him and the students from the Knights' attacks. Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko and Rika all watched in awe, unafraid of the demons' intimidating presence.

"Leave! Now!" Mizuki ordered.

"See ya!" Terada called back as he hauled ass.

The students, however, did not reply and stood their ground. Naoko took out a notepad and jotted down some notes as Rika looked around like a lobotomized tourist.

"Wow!" Exclaimed Rika. "Ms. Mizuki's amazing!" 

The four Knights wailed on Kaho's psychic shield with all of their dark magic but the teacher would not budge. Unfortunately she was beginning to feel weary and her telekinetic link was about to give out.

"I don't know why you've returned but you will _not_ harm my students!" She said furiously.

"Then we shall harm you…" The Red Knight chuckled.

Just then, a huge mound of rock knocked all of the Knights down and temporarily immobilized them. Sakura then came running up to her friends as they were all taken aback by the metal coating her flesh.

"Sakura? Is that you?" Kaho asked.

"Yeah. You better get out of here." Sakura turned around and found herself surrounded by all four of the Knights.

"You're going to pay for that, girl." The Green Knight said as he and the others readied for another attack.

"Okay." Sakura said as she balled up a fist. "Let's play."


	18. Rampage Of The Black Knight

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so some of you are probably wondering: How fast can Sakura fly now that she got rid of those wings? Let me draw it out for you. **_

_**This is the flight trajectory of the world's fastest jet (an SR-71 Blackbird clocked at 2193.16 mph) :**_

_**- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - **_

_**Here's Sakura's:**_

_**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**_

_**Oh yeah. She's fast, all right. **_

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Li and the team managed to escort the majority of the people away from the park as Sakura dealt with the demonic quartet. Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko and Rika helped carry a weakened Kaho over to them and laid her down on the grass.

"What happened?" Li asked.

"Sakura…" Kaho wiped off some of the blood from her nose as she slowly sat up. "…She needs help."

"But she said--"

"No." The teacher interrupted. "I can sense something else other than the Knights. Something I didn't feel before."

"Like what?" Eriol kneeled before her.

"Something we overlooked."

¬¬¬¬¬

Despite the Knights' best efforts to slash Sakura to pieces, they found their weapons useless against Sakura's metallic body as she continually wailed on them with a series of punches and jabs.

"I've had enough of all of you!" She practically screamed.

Unfortunately for her, the Knights quickly learned her every move and managed to pin her down to the floor with all their might. She struggled to break free but the Knights held their ground as the metal surrounding her body faded away.

"What do you want with me!? Let me go!"

"Don't worry, Sakura! We're coming!" Cerberus yelled out as he and Spinel Sun shot down the Knights.

"Is everyone out of the park?"

"Oh yeah! Now we can _really _focus on these guys!" Spinel glared at the Purple Knight. "You're mine, boy!"

A bolt of dark energy was more than enough to shut the sun guardian up, hurling him into a nearby stage.

"Spinel!" Cerberus cried.

He too was silenced by another magic attack from the Knights as Sakura balled up her fists and charged once more into her opponents for another round.

"Emperor of Thunder, answer my call!" Li yelled as he pinned the creatures down with an electrical attack.

Tomoyo and Meiling then took the opportunity to rush in and pull Sakura away as Ruby Moon and Yue flew above the cornered Knights.

"Now!" Eriol called from behind as he held a spell book in his hand.

The two moon guardians nodded at each other and combined their magic to raise a magnetic bubble to trap in the four skeleton warriors.

"All right…" Eriol then began to read the spell aloud. "Forces of nature! Forces of light! Dispel this evil before you and from your sight!"

Just then, a bolt of blue energy shot towards the magnetic bubble and shrouded it completely. Yue and Ruby took this chance to lower their defenses and descend to the ground, close to their masters.

As the blue energy continued surrounding the Demon Knights, everyone shielded their eyes from the intensity of the light.

After a while, the energy bubble faded away and revealed nothing but a crater in the ground. Sakura and her team cheered for the victory as Eriol sighed from relief.

"Oh, thank God…" He closed the book.

"You did it, Eriol!" Sakura smiled.

Unfortunately for them , however, the victory was short lived. All four of the Knights ascended from the hole in the ground and reignited their flames much to Eriol's frustration.

"Shit!" He yelled as he stomped on the ground. "Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit!"

"Is he saying 'shit' or 'ship'?" Meiling asked Tomoyo.

"Shit." She answered.

"Yeah." Meiling nodded in agreement. "Yeah, you're right. Why would he say 'ship'? That doesn't make any sense."

"Why didn't it work?" Sakura asked as she and the other prepared for another fight.

"I don't know." Eriol flipped through the pages some more. "Something's not right here. They should have been cast away into another holding cell."

"They won't listen to you." A familiar voice said.

Everyone turned around to see Christopher Lorca calmly walking towards the group with his right hand concealed within his long, black coat.

"Mr. Lorca?" Sakura started to feel uneasy.

"You see, Sakura, there's only one way to control a Demon Knight." He said with an eerie grin.

The Knights started to head their way with their weapons held firmly in the air until they stopped dead in their tracks. Lorca's left hand was raised slightly as his right remained hidden in the coat.

"I don't understand." Sakura said to him. "How are you…"

Finally, Lorca removed his right hand to reveal a metallic covering laced with a thick red lining. Eriol's face suddenly displayed a terrified look as he stepped forward and pointed out to the man.

"The Sangria Gauntlet!" He cried.

"What!?" Sakura was now puzzled. "But I thought you said it was lost!"

"Of course it wasn't!" Lorca butted in. "When Faust renounced his claim over the Demon Knights, he kept the Gauntlet hidden within the confines of a nearby settlement. That same settlement is where Faust remained hidden from Clow Reed for a period of time. He married, believe it or not, and had several children who shared his beliefs in the futility of mere men. The Gauntlet was passed down from generation to generation for safekeeping in hopes that one day Faust would return to reclaim it."

"But Faust never came looking for it when we fought him." Sakura pointed out. "No one even tried to bring it to him."

"That's because _I _had it the entire time. And I refused to let him have the power when I could do so much more with it!"

"But how is it that _you_ have the Gauntlet?" Yue asked.

"Isn't it obvious?"

Tomoyo was seen jotting down notes on a yellow pad when she froze in place. "Uhh… no?"

With a sigh, Lorca explained. "I am the direct descendent of Johann Georg Faust! And therefore, the rightful heir to the Sangria Gauntlet!"

Kero, now back in his doll form, flew up to Sakura. "Sakura, do you have any idea what this means!?"

Sakura panicked. "No! What!?"

"He's part German!"

"Oh, Kero!" She flicked him away. "This is serious!"

"But how are you controlling them?" Eriol asked. "You don't have their gems in place!"

Lorca chuckled. "I can't believe you don't remember, young Eriol."

"Remember? Remember what?"

"The Sangria Gauntlet was built with a power gem inside. A _black _power gem." The Spaniard then lifted his sleeve to reveal a glowing black gem placed at the forearm of the metallic glove.

Lorca chuckled some more. "And with this black gem, the wielder of the Gauntlet will--"

"Will possess within him the powers and abilities of the dreaded… Black Knight. Leader of all the Demon Knights." Eriol finished the sentence in horror. "Oh, dear God. How could I have forgotten?"

In no time at all, Lorca slashed through thin air with the Gauntlet and unleashed a portal gleaming with dark magic. The winds started to pick up as the Spaniard laughed maniacally when all of a sudden…

---------- I N T E R M I S S I O N ----------

----------_** Grab a snack!**_

----------_**Enjoy a refreshing soft drink!**_

----------_**Pop in a CD!**_

----------_**Elect your local politican for another term!**_

----------_**Have fun, go mad! And now... back to the story!**_

… A swarm of multicolored, scaly demons with various wing sizes flew out of the swirling vortex and began attacking everything in sight.

"He's opened the demon realm!" Eriol warned.

"Attack!" Lorca commanded as the flesh from his head started to burn off.

After a moment, a mere skull was left but the man was still alive and as crazy as ever. A black and gray blaze then enshrouded the skull as a deep and sinister cackle escaped its mouth.

"Okay, wait a minute!" Li said as he walked towards the newly transformed Black Knight. "Why are you trying to kill us!? Where's the beef, huh!?"

"Silence from you!" Lorca screeched as he smacked the boy away with the backend of the Gauntlet.

"Li! Are you all right!?" Tomoyo asked as she helped him up.

"I don't know…" He looked around in a daze. "Did I just get bitch-slapped?"

"These demons must be dealt with!" Yue shouted as he and Ruby flew into the air, shooting many of them down.

"What reason do you have to do this, Lorca!?" Sakura demanded an answer from him.

"I need no reason!" His distorted voice growled through the blackened flames. He then held out his hand and unleashed a deadly scimitar, razor sharp and ready for killing.

"My Demon Knights!" He called. "Unleash your fury and avenge yourselves upon this weakling!"

More and more swarms of demonic beings flew out of the portal, engaging in battle with Sakura and her team.

"Oh, great…" Tomoyo rolled her eyes. "Things just got worse."

"Worse?" Sakura started to worry.

"This is _Miranda Veracruz de la Jolla Cardinal _and I'm here in downtown Tomoeda as a massive battle is taking place during the annual Kibou Festival!" The Latin reporter said as several news helicopters and other vehicles from various stations arrived on the scene.

"They're only going to get in the way!" Sakura growled as she hacked off a demon's head with the Sword. "Yue! Can you do something about it!?"

"I will try!" The moon guardian said as he approached the news teams.

"Mr. Angel, sir!" One reporter said. "Can you explain what's going on at this moment?"

"You are all in grave danger! Vacate the premises at once!" He commanded but to no avail.

¬¬¬¬¬

In one of Kanaye's private helicopters, the billionaire industrialist along with Sonomi and Fujitaka observed the battle from the skies. Hiroshi was startled to find his partner, Christopher Lorca, acting as the ringleader of all the chaos.

"Pilot!" He called. "Is that Lorca!?"

"Yes, sir." The pilot nodded. "I'm afraid it is."

"What!?" Fujitaka stood up and looked down on the surface in horror. "Lorca is responsible!?"

Kanaye sadly nodded. "It would appear so."

"But I don't understand! Why!?"

"I don't know but I assure you, I intend to find out."

¬¬¬¬¬

The Black Knight angrily swung his massive blade but Sakura was able to block it off with the Sword as she kept backing away in the nick of time.

"I don't understand…" She said to herself. "Why now?"

Another swing and Sakura went rolling along the grass and over to Eriol and Li, who were finishing off their demonic opponents.

"Sakura…" Eriol started. "You must be careful. The more Lorca is under the influence of the Black Knight, the more powerful he gets. Unfortunately that also means his mind will deteriorate and become 1-dimensional."

"Meaning what exactly!?"

"He'll become a mindless killing machine who won't stop unless someone forces him to."

"You mean me…"

"Sakura, no!" Li protested. "You can't be serious! It was bad enough for you to take on all 4 of the Demon Knights but the Black Knight!? That's suicide!"

"He's right, Sakura." Eriol added. "The Black Knight is the most powerful of them all and therefore the most unstoppable. He's a killing machine."

"I don't care." Sakura said as she refused with the Power card. "I have to stop him now before more people get hurt."

Meiling and Tomoyo flipped away from battle and cornered themselves near the group as all four of the guardians did battle with the Demon Knights.

"Sakura, please don't tell me you're planning something stupid!" Meiling pleaded.

"Oh, you know…" Sakura said as she cut through a nearby demon. "…Just the usual saving-the-day kind of stuff. Nothing too big, I hope!"

"God of Fire, answer my call!" Li chanted as a wall of fire separated the group from the demon armies.

"Li, I want you and the others to keep the demons busy while I try to take the Gauntlet away from Lorca." Sakura commanded. "Yue, Kero, Spinel and Ruby are already taking care of the Demon Knights so just lay low and try not to complicate things."

Li nodded. "All right…" His look then became sincere as he grabbed Sakura by the hands and stared deep into her eyes. "Sakura…"

"What?"

"I was going to ask your father for his approval first but…"

"But what, Li?" She started to worry.

"Sakura, will you marry me?"

"Oh!" Tomoyo and Meiling hugged each other with joy.

Sakura then gave him a strange look. "Well… do you really think this is the best time!?"

"I know we're still young but I mean eventually! When we get older and--"

"No, I mean do you think now's the time to be asking me this!?"

Li paused for a moment and couldn't help but chuckle. "I guess you're right…"

"As for your proposal?" She grinned as she gave him a quick kiss on the lips. "Consider it done."

As the firewall died down, Sakura merged with the Fly card and charged right into the Black Knight. As Li followed the others into battle, he looked down and sighed heavily.

"Be careful..." He whispered. "…My love."

Sakura threw a heavy set of punches against the flaming black skull and kneed him in the chest as its flesh started to deteriorate. Sakura then grabbed Lorca by the Gauntlet and attempted to pull it off, only to be smacked across the burning fields.

"Stupid girl…" The skull growled. "Faust was a fool to have been beaten by a weakling like you."

"Maybe…" Sakura said as she spat out some blood. "…But at least _he _knew how to throw a punch."

"Is that so?" The man in black cackled as a set of thick, sharp bones protruded from the remainder of the man's skin.

"Oh, shit." Sakura said as she slowly backed away. "_That_ looks painful…"

A smaller set of bony claws then peered through the man's left knuckles as he slashed them across Sakura's face, knocking her into a nearby stand.

"How the…" Sakura looked at all the blood that started dripping from her face and onto her hand as she slowly felt the pain running through her body.

Another punch in the stomach sent the young girl flying towards the carousel. She coughed some more and found herself being lifted up by an angry Lorca.

"Die…" His voice hissed.

"Oh, this is gonna hurt…" Sakura winced.

The Black Knight grabbed hold of one of the carousel's porcelain horses and spun the entire ride around, forcing Sakura's head into the middle of it all. Her entire cranium was beaten non-stop by the many porcelain and steel objects within the ride as it kept spinning round and round.

After the ride had stopped, Lorca pulled a bloodied Sakura out and slammed her into the ground with a massive punch. The violence didn't end there, however, as Lorca began to stomp on her over and over again, creating a large crater in the process.

¬¬¬¬¬

News coverage of the attack could be seen on the television inside Kaho's room from the hospital she was staying at. She awoke to find Takashi, Chiharu, Naoko and Rika at her bedside as the violent images were being broadcast throughout Tomoeda.

"How… How did I get here?" Kaho whispered.

"We brought you, Ms. Mizuki." Rika placed a hand on hers. "You saved us from those things."

"Sakura's trying to fight the black one." Takashi said with a concerned voice. "And I don't think she's winning."

"The black one?" Kaho tried to regain her consciousness. "… The Black Knight?"

"Ms. Mizuki?" Chiharu got up. "Are you all right?"

The teacher didn't reply as she went back into her slumber, still weakened from her earlier encounter. The four students then redirected their attention to the television set and watched helplessly as their friends fought for their lives.

¬¬¬¬¬

The fight had gotten so out of control, it started heading for the city streets of Tomoeda. The park was almost nonexistent and soon crowds and crowds of onlookers joined by several news crews huddled around the area as the demonic beings battled it out with the city's handful of heroes.

"Thunder!" Li cried as he set off a chain reaction, destroying several enemies at once.

Sakura, meanwhile, was still taking a beating from the Black Knight. Her suit was now starting to tear and her face was practically covered with blood but she refused to back down. She grabbed hold of the creature's shoulders and held her ground, trying to push him away from the streets with all her might.

"It is useless to resist me, Sakura." He scoffed. "Your town is finished and so are you."

"No!" She screamed. "I won't let you go any further! Tomoeda is where I hold the line!"

_**Why is Lorca doing really bad things!? Why the hell did Li propose NOW!? What will become of Spinel & his bladder problem!? All of these questions answered… later.**_


	19. A Tragic End

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: Oh, you guys are gonna hate me after reading this chapter. Read on and you'll see what I mean.**_

CHAPTER NINETEEN

The battle between good and evil had devastated the city of Tomoeda as a path of destruction was paved for its two main combatants. Sakura continued to suffer the wrath of the Black Knight as he dragged her along several buildings, crumbling the foundations with her body.

Not too far away, Li and the rest of the Tokyo Knights continued their bout with the Demon Knights and their army of darkness as the media covered the entire event.

"Those damn reporters are only getting in the way!" Li griped as he hacked his way through a small group of winged beasts.

"We have no choice but to ignore them!" Eriol called back as he sealed off a part of the street with a tremor.

Meiling twirled around and found herself surrounded by a large group of redskins much to her horror. She backed away slowly and balled her fists, waiting for one of them to make the first move.

"C'mon!" She said. "Who wants to be first?" 

Luckily for her, a stray gust of fire emanating from Cerberus' mouth incinerated the entire group, allowing her to sigh from relief.

"Oh, thank God…"

"Meiling! Run!" Tomoyo called as she ran past her.

"What?" Meiling turned and saw another group of demons heading her way and started to run after her friend. "Yeah, there's no way in hell I'm dealing with all of those!"

¬¬¬¬¬

"Fujitaka, look!" Sonomi pointed out to Sakura's beaten and tattered body as it flew into a nearby vehicle.

Kanaye's private chopper remained above the city as the destruction continued. Several news copters were there as well but not as close to the action as the businessman's was.

"Sakura!" Fujitaka called out, completely aware that his daughter couldn't hear him.

"She's getting beaten to a pulp." Kanaye pointed out much to her father's dismay.

"We have to do something!"

"Mr. Kinomoto, get a grip. Sakura may be getting beaten but that doesn't mean all hope is lost."

"But that's my daughter down there!"

"I understand how you feel, sir. But trust me when I say we are no safer down there than we are here."

"So what do you suggest we do?" An impatient Sonomi asked.

"Not to worry. One of my security teams should be arriving to assist them."

"Assist them? How?"

¬¬¬¬¬

A squad of men in flight suits, armed with various weapons systems, began to lay waste to the demon scourge as they flew above the city streets.

"Formation attack!" The lead pilot shouted as his squad swirled around and unleashed a set of various missiles and bullets towards the enemy.

Meanwhile, Spinel found himself going in circles as the Purple Knight swung the creature around by his tail.

"Hey, man! That's not cool!" The panther cried as he was sent crashing into a nearby billboard.

After a while, Spinel reverted back to his domestic form and wandered around the streets in a daze. The Purple Knight gripped his chain mace firmly and slowly approached the kitty cat with an deep cackle in his throat.

"Now, sun guardian…" He raised his weapon. "It's time to die!"

"Oh, crap-apples…" Suppi gulped.

Before the Knight could strike, he was tackled to the ground by a weakened Cerberus, who let out a mighty roar.

"Spinel!" He called out to his friend. "Initiate Plan B!"

"Plan B!?" The cat gasped. "Hey, can we talk about this?!"

"Now, damn it! Can't you see we're all getting our asses kicked!?"

Suppi looked around at all the destruction and could see Yue falling before the might of the Blue Knight and Ruby Moon struggling with the Red Knight's dark magic. With Cerberus dealing with both the Green and Purple Knights now, Suppi sighed and realized it was time to toughen up.

"Okay, guys. I read you loud and clear." The cat said as he took out a mysterious brown bag. "It's candy time!"

Suppi wasted no time at all and began stuffing his face with various candies, cakes and other sugary products. After everything in the bag was gone, he could feel his body beginning to jitter as his eyes twitched.

"Spinel!" Ruby cried. "Now's not the time for a candy break!"

"Trust me, Ruby!" Cerberus called out to her. "It's for the best."

In what appeared to be a scene straight out of Popeye, complete with the theme's fanfare, Spinel felt his biceps pumping and his spirits rising as he turned around and faced all four of the Demon Knights with a maniacal laugh.

"Ooh, you're all in trouble now!" He shouted.

The hyperactive cat then drilled his way through all of the demon warriors, in search of another goody bag of sweet treats. The Knights attempted to retaliate by charging into the small being but were pushed back by his sugar-powered energy beam.

"Candy!" He screeched as he grabbed hold of the Blue and Purple Knights and smashed their skulls together.

The Green and Red Knights looked at each other in confusion as the sun guardian took the opportunity to give them both an atomic wedgie and hang them by a set of nearby streetlights.

"Kill the cat!" The Blue Knight ordered as he regained his balance.

"Oh, what do we have here…" Spinel mumbled to himself very much like the cartoon sailor man as he saw the four coming straight for him.

"Whoa!" Suppi ducked their attacks and turned into a rapid funnel of sugar induced insanity, sucking them into his trap.

It was at this point when Ruby Moon, Yue and Kero, back in doll form, landed on the ground and stood around, watching Spinel beat the crap out of all four of the skeleton warriors. Afterwards, the jittery feline flew around his comrades and let out another high-pitched giggle.

"Suppi?" Ruby was now concerned. "Are you all right?"

"Of course I am!" He smiled as he began singing along to the last few verses of the Popeye theme. "_And I'm feeling dandy when I eats my candy. I'm Suppi the hyper cat! Toot toot!_"

After a long and awkward silence, Kero thought it best to slap his companion upside the head to shut him up and knock some sense back into him.

¬¬¬¬¬

"Oh, not again!" Sakura cried as she slammed into another vehicle.

Lorca's raspy voice could be heard chuckling from the distance as Sakura lifted the pickup truck and hurled it towards him.

"Fool!" The Knight growled as he sliced through the truck with ease.

"Earth!" Sakura shouted as a spike of rock shot upwards and knocked Lorca in the face.

Using the Jump, Sakura then leaped over to him and began pounding with an utter relentlessness. Her anger and frustration were beginning to take over as she continued beating the Demon Knight into the ground.

"Die, damn you! Die!" She shouted.

Lorca simply laughed at her efforts and smacked her away with the backend of the Gauntlet. Upon getting up, he noticed Sakura starting to crawl away in pain but stopped her in her tracks by stomping her head further into the concrete.

"Poor little Sakura…" He said as he lifted the girl with ease and noticed the large amount of blood running down her face. "You try so hard but it never seems to be enough. Allow me to put you out of your misery… For good."

Lorca was interrupted, however, by a lightning attack combined by the efforts of Li and Eriol. Tomoyo and Meiling used the distraction to help Sakura up and pull her away to safety.

"You dare interfere!?" The flaming skull growled.

Li held his sword tightly and raised it above his head, ready to charge into the creature. "You look bored. Why don't you play with _me_ for a while?"

Lorca turned his head and noticed Tomoyo and Meiling attending to a very bloody Sakura and shrugged. "As you wish."

As the two engaged in battle, Eriol rushed over to the girls and helped wipe the blood from Sakura's face.

"Sakura, are you all right?" He asked her.

"Lorca…" She said as she tried to catch her breath. "…He's too strong."

"I don't get it, Eriol." Tomoyo said. "She shouldn't be taking this much damage if the Power card is fused with her."

"I know." He nodded. "How can this be possible? The Power card should be able to withstand any amount of blunt force trauma."

"I don't know…" Sakura said as she slowly got up. "But I have to stop him by any means necessary."

"Sakura, you know that's impossible."

"Maybe…" She noticed Li getting knocked down much to her horror. "But I have to try!"

Sakura quickly charged into the Demon Knight with the Fly card and sent an incredible amount of pressure against his body. Furious, Lorca grabbed Sakura by the neck and hurled her across several buildings, where she then suffered from a dislocated shoulder.

"Sakura!" Li immediately helped her up.

Trying to ignore the pain, Sakura quickly approached a nearby telephone pole and began slamming her arm against it. After a few tries, her bone finally snapped back into place but the pain eventually proved to be too much for her as she let out a sharp and agonizing cry.

"Aw, did that hurt?" Lorca teased.

Deciding it was now or never, Sakura slowly turned around and faced her opponent straight in the eye as her cards all began to surround her. Li, Eriol, Tomoyo and Meiling readied themselves but Sakura held her hand out, signaling them to back down.

"Sakura?" Li was baffled. "But what about--"

"This is my fight." She told him. "Only I can end this."

Eriol then stepped forward. "Sakura, don't be ridiculous. You're weakening. You need to wait until--"

"No!" She snapped. "I won't let him go any further!"

Having little choice, Sakura unleashed a wave of kinetic energy and pushed her loved ones aside as the cards began to glow. Li and the others found it practically impossible to move due to Sakura's magic spell and pleaded with her to back down.

Ignoring her friends, Sakura stepped forward and pointed at Lorca with a threatening stare. "I don't know why you did this or what you're trying to prove. But I can tell you that this madness ends now."

"Brave words from such a small creature." Lorca scoffed.

"Who are you calling small?"

Using all her might, Sakura gathered the magic energy from the cards and formed it into a concentrated ball of white light. Once it had reached an impasse, she shot the energy sphere towards Lorca, who caught it with the magic Gauntlet and struggled to keep it balanced.

Everyone in the city, media and bystanders alike, all stood in place and watched the magic energy surround the two opponents as the light grew brighter. The Black Knight could now feel the positive energy flowing through him but refused to back down. Sakura, using her last bit of energy, pushed herself forward and forced the sphere into the Gauntlet, where the effects began to kick in.

"No!" Lorca cried as the Gauntlet began to glow with the positive energy Sakura had bestowed upon him. The black gem shattered instantly, creating a chain reaction of events that soon followed. The other Demon Knights were cast away into nothingness as their power gems crumbled and the portal to the demon realm closed off entirely.

"She did it!" Eriol cheered.

"Impossible…" A defeated Lorca said as he fell to his knees and his body returned to its human form.

Just then, a swarm of police officers and army officials arrived on the scene and finished off the remaining demons wile Lorca was taken away into custody.

"Oh, _now_ they show up!" An irritated Meiling said.

Just when things were starting to get better, they immediately took a turn for the worse. Everyone soon turned their attention to Sakura, who immediately fell to the floor after such a long and weary battle. Her wounds were still present and her heart was beating faster than ever as Li immediately came to her side. He helped sit her up as he noticed she was starting to breathe heavily from fatigue and loss of blood.

"Sakura, just relax." He held her close. "You're going to be okay."

"I… I did it…" Her voice strained.

"Yes. You did." The worry Li had for Sakura could now be heard in his voice as he cradled her softly.

Soon, Yue, Ruby, Kero and Spinel returned to the group and noticed everyone surrounding the couple. Fujitaka, Sonomi and Kanaye noticed the scene from above and ordered the pilot to descend.

"Sakura?" Kero started to tear up.

"Oh, dear God." Ruby placed a hand over her mouth. "What did he do to you?"

"Li…" Sakura whispered.

"Yes, Sakura?" Li was slowly breaking down in tears.

"I… want you to…" She coughed for a bit then continued. "… I want you to carry on without me."

"No." He shook his head. "Sakura, you're going to be all right."

"…Lead the team. They'll…need you."

"Sakura, don't talk like that." He was now breaking down for sure. "We're supposed to get married one day. You're… supposed to be my wife and I'm…"

"I love you…"

And with that, Sakura's eyes closed as she drew her final breath. Li held his beloved closely and let out a mournful cry as did her friends and adoring fans that watched from the sidelines.

"Sakura…" Li sobbed.

"No." Yue said in disbelief. "It cannot end this way."

What started out as a day of celebration for peace with fond memories to look back on, it suddenly turned into the darkest day the people of Tomoeda had ever witnessed. The day the kindest, most noble young girl they ever knew finally fell. For those who loved her, those who would be her buddy or pal, or those who simply looked up to her, they were now forced to say goodbye to her. For a city or perhaps the entire world to live, a young girl had given her all and more. This was the day Sakura Kinomoto died.


	20. Funeral For A Friend

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE: So… I suppose Sakura's death came as a bit of a shock? No? A disappointment maybe? Hmm? Well, allow me to don my thick Scottish brogue and say: "I warned ye, Din' I? I warned yeeee!" Okay, that's enough of that. Trust me, folks. There's a reason Sakura died. And if you've been paying real close attention, you might figure out why…. Or maybe not. I suck at this.**_

THE FINAL CHAPTER

The streets of Tomoeda were all closed due to the funeral procession already in progress as the rain slowly fell from the gray sky. Nobody seemed to mind, however, as the majority of the city was standing behind the lines and watched as the carriage pulled a small, gold-plated casket surrounded by a plethora of flowers. The carriage was followed closely by several black cars and the cars belonging to Sakura's family and closest friends.

Watching the event from his 28 story office, Kanaye slowly lowered his head and heard nothing but the rain softly tap on the glass. Just then, one of the older board directors walked in the room and grabbed Hiroshi's attention.

"Kagawa." The man said as he turned around. "What do you want?"

"I just thought I'd let you know Masuyo Industries is looking for a buyer." The old man grinned. "They suffered from Lorca's rampage and they're in talks to come here and--"

"Kagawa.." He interrupted. "A young girl has died while trying to protect this city and you're talking business. Why don't you show a little respect and get the hell out of my office?"

"I'm only trying to bring a little light to our situation."

"There is no situation, Kagawa. What happened was unforgivable but I'm willing to look past that. This company has survived harsher blows than this. My only regret is that Sakura Kinomoto's life is the reason for its survival."

"If I may suggest, sir… the Genesis Elixir?"

"What about it?"

"Wouldn't that be able to revive young Sakura?"

"Yes. It would. If we had an available supply in stock."

"What?"

"As I recall, Mr. Kagawa… it was _you_ who ordered the Genesis Project to be scrapped. It was _you_ who went behind my back and had all the vials disposed of. Therefore, it's _your _fault Sakura Kinomoto remains dead to this day."

"Sir--"

"Just go, Kagawa. We'll talk another day."

"Yes, sir." The old man bowed and left the room as Kanaye remained watching the gloomy march along the streets.

¬¬¬¬¬

The procession had now reached the Amatsu Cemetery, where Sakura was to be buried. As the gates opened, the police escorts immediately backed the crowds of people away in a calm and dignified manner. They all obliged willingly and watched as the carriage took the casket to the top of a hill, where the memorial service was already waiting for them.

Amongst those sitting under a black tarp waiting for the service to begin was Tomoyo and her mother, Meiling, Kaho Mizuki, Nakuru, Chiharu, Naoko, Rika, Maki Matsumoto and almost every member of the magic army she had fought alongside with on Alcatraz. Kero-chan and Suppi sat on Tomoyo and Nakuru's laps respectively with a white flower pinned to them as they wiped away their tears.

When the carriage stopped in place, the pallbearers immediately went to work and slowly carried the casket out and over to its proper setting. A very tearful Fujitaka, along with an angry Touya, guilt-ridden Yukito, confused Eriol, saddened Takashi, regretful Terada and seemingly emotionless Li, lowered the casket onto the platform and seated themselves with the others.

Sonomi wasted no time in giving Touya and Fujitaka a comforting hug and kiss while Yuki found himself embraced by Nakuru. Eriol wrapped his arms around a trembling Tomoyo, meanwhile, as Li slowly walked away from the group. With Takashi and Chiharu holding each other, Terada sighed and noticed Kaho's hand placed on his shoulder.

"I can't believe she's gone." He said in a soft voice.

"No one can." The principal shook her head.

The service then went underway as a familiar face stepped up and read from the bible. Jimmy Craig Corin, the preacher man from Texas and one of the symbols from Sakura's army, gave his words of comfort and eased everyone's mind with the hope that Sakura was now in a better place.

As the service went on, Tomoyo noticed Li was missing and slowly turned her head around. She spotted him near another gravesite, his head down and expression lost and cold. It seemed to her that all of this was too much for the young boy and that burying his beloved was something he could not do.

As the casket lowered into the ground, Jimmy stepped back and watched as the men in black took turns dropping their cherry blossoms onto its surface in honor of their savior. Soon after, everyone else dropped their pink flower until Li was the very last one to step up. He paused for a moment then held his hand out slightly, his expression remaining the same.

"Goodbye, my love…" He whispered softly.

Adding the final touch onto the casket, Li closed his eyes and sighed heavily with the knowledge he will never see his cherry blossom again.

When the rain had stopped and everyone spread themselves out along the park, Li was approached by preacher Jimmy.

"How are you holding up, son?" He asked with a heartfelt smile.

Li took a deep breath and kept his eyes directed on the grass. "Not so good, padre…"

"I don't blame ya. Sakura was really one of a kind, huh?"

"…The best."

Jimmy could notice Li was in no condition to talk right now and handed him a card. "Look, I'm gonna be in town for a couple of days. If you ever want to talk, just… just call me. All right?"

Li took the card and nodded. "Sure. Thanks, Jim."

The preacher nodded and started to walk off when he turned back one last time. "She's not really gone, you know." He clutched his hand to his heart. "… So long as you keep her here."

Having heard that so many times before in his life, Li found little comfort from the preacher's words as he walked down the hill. He knew deep down that Sakura was, in fact, gone. End of discussion.

¬¬¬¬¬

In a small room, Lorca sat at a table dressed in his prison garb with his arms handcuffed behind him as one of the guards let Fujitaka in. It had been hours since the funeral and Fujitaka thought it would be best to speak with his daughter's killer.

"Could you give us a few moments, please?" He kindly asked the guard.

"Are you crazy?" The man in uniform crossed his arms. "Do you know what that man is capable of?"

"I'm perfectly aware. In case you haven't noticed, my daughter's dead because of him."

The man was taken aback by his comment and slowly nodded. "All right. He's handcuffed anyway. Just… try not to take too long."

"Thank you."

The guard exited the room and closed the door completely as Fujitaka stood at the other side of the table, his hand clutched onto a chair.

"Hello, Christopher." He said to his so-called friend in a calm voice.

"Fujitaka… my friend, I'm incredibly sorry that--"

"Friend?" He interrupted. "You think after all that's happened, you still have the right to call me that?"

Lorca looked down in shame and shook his head. "…No."

"No. You don't have that right anymore."

"If you would just let me explain…"

"What's to explain? You went on a rampage, destroyed half the city and killed my daughter in the process."

"Yes but the circumstances behind it were--"

"Circumstances!?" Fujitaka had now broken the calm. "Did you not hear what I just said!? You killed my daughter!"

Furious, he kicked the chair aside and pulled Lorca closer to him. "It's because of you, I will _never_ see my little girl grow up and live a full life! You took that away from me, you took that away from the only boy she ever loved and you took that away from _her_!"

Lorca started to breathe heavily as he realized the position he was in. "Fujitaka, I'm sorry! I'm really, really--"

"Sorry won't bring her back!" The man yelled as he pushed him away and caused him to fall back over his chair.

Using this to his advantage, Fujitaka picked Lorca up by the hair and landed a strong punch across his face, causing him to fall back again. It was at that moment when the guard came back and noticed what was going on. He held Fujitaka back as two more men went in and helped the criminal back on his feet.

"What the hell are you doing!?" The guard demanded an answer.

Fujitaka released himself from the guard's grip and headed for the door. "I was just saying goodbye to an old friend…"

"Fujitaka!" Lorca called out as he was being taken back to his cell. "I don't know what you want me to do…"

"I want you to die, you son of a bitch."

And with that said, the archaeologist left the building as his former friend was escorted back to the holding cell.

¬¬¬¬¬

Inside the Kinomoto residence, Touya hung up the phone with a displeased look on his face as Yukito walked in.

"What is it?" He asked.

"I just got off the phone with Kanaye. Project Genesis was scrapped." Touya sighed. "It's over. It's all over." 

Eriol, Meiling and Tomoyo had overheard the news from upstairs as they descended from the steps.

"You mean… the vials have all been destroyed?" Tomoyo's voice broke.

"It looks like it."

Yuki shook his head and took a seat on the couch, his hands running through his hair. "It's my fault, Touya… I should never have let her do this on her own. With Kero's help we could have--"

"Don't." Touya placed a hand on his friend's shoulder. "No one's to blame. Sakura made a choice. And she carried it out, knowing the consequences. There's no reason for you to feel guilty."

Nakuru, Spinel and Kero were next to enter the living room as Eriol looked over to them, waiting for a response.

"Well?" He asked.

"The cards are safely tucked back into the book." Kero said with an unconcerned voice. "As long as they stay there, they're in no danger of dying out. Their magic will be preserved for another generation."

"What about you?" Yuki asked. "What about us? Will we still be able to…"

"You'll be fine, Yukito." Eriol reassured the boy. "Your existence was never tied to Sakura's or Clow Reed's for that matter. Your magic will remain intact and your transformations unaffected."

"So this is it, huh?" Meiling sat down. "It's all over."

"I don't see why."

"Face it, Eriol. Without Sakura, we're nothing."

"That's not true. Together we can still bring Tomoeda back and repair the damage that has been done."

"What are you talking about, Hiiragizawa?" Touya scoffed. "Meiling's right. It _is_ over."

"No…" Tomoyo stood by her beloved. "I think it's only right that we should carry on Sakura's legacy. She fought for this city on several occasions and in the end, it killed her. There may not be any threat on a magical level but everyday someone is out there, trying to bring this city down by terrorizing its citizens. The media calls us the Tokyo Knights for a reason. And I say we uphold that reason."

Touya and the others nodded in agreement as Nakuru gave the young girl a hug. "You're right. You're absolutely right."

"Yeah but… who's going to lead us?" Spinel wondered aloud.

¬¬¬¬¬

Outside on the porch, Li looked out at the starry sky which had cleared up since the funeral. He heard a slight creak behind him and immediately knew who it was. He turned around to see Tomoyo giving him a deeply concerned look on her face.

"Li?" She said softly. "… I'm sorry. I guess you wanted to be alone. I'll leave if you want me to." 

"No." He shook his head. "It's all right."

"You know… I think it's unfair that my relationship with Eriol has only blossomed when yours with Sakura was brought down so suddenly and tragically."

"You have him _now_. That's all that matters. Make every moment with him count as if it were your last."

Tomoyo could suddenly sense something was wrong. "Why do I get the feeling you're not going to be with us any longer?"

"Because I won't be."

"What?"

"I going back home."

"But why?"

"There's nothing for me here anymore."

"But the team needs you. To lead them."

"I'm passing that responsibility over to you now, Tomoyo."

"But I can't. I'm not ready for something like that. You were always the second in command. I was just--"

"I've already taught you everything I know. And believe me when I say that you couldn't surpass my expectations any more than you already have. You _are_ ready."

Li started to turn away but was immediately stopped by Tomoyo as she grabbed hold of his hand. He looked straight into her crying eyes then gently wiped the tears away with his handkerchief.

"I don't want you to go." She said as she placed her head against his chest.

"I don't either." He said as he wrapped his arms around her.

"I love you, Li." She looked back up at him. "I just didn't want you to leave without knowing that."

For the first time since before the funeral, Li managed to crack half a smile as he gently placed his lips over Tomoyo's forehead.

"I love you too, Tomoyo." He told her, completely aware now that she was the only friend he had left.

Eriol walked in on the two and stood by the door as Li slowly broke away from Tomoyo. The brown-haired boy gave his former rival a positive look in the eye and watched as Tomoyo went to his side.

"You take care of her." He commanded.

As Li walked away from the house, Eriol put his arm around Tomoyo and gently kissed her lips. Their love for each other would now have to pull them through this dark time in order for the city to prosper.

"Do you think we'll ever see him again?" The blue-eyed boy asked.

Tomoyo nodded with an optimistic smile. "We will. He knows where his real home is now. In actuality, he's just… _visiting_ Hong Kong."

With the day slowly coming to an end, a new one was about to begin. The world would now have to wake up with a void as big as itself. It would be a world without a hero. A world without a guardian. And although her friends would carry on the mantle and do their best to protect their city, it would still be a world without Card Captor Sakura.

_**THE END… **_

…_**THE HELL IT IS!**_

_**ONE LAST NOTE: Okay, before you start throwing your beer bottles and junk at me, gimme a chance to defend myself! Sakura's death is going to play a huge role in my next story! We're gonna get a chance to get inside the minds of almost every major and minor CCS character and experience what they're going through. How do they feel about Sakura being dead? Are they gonna move on? Are they still gonna mope? Could something have been done to help? Who knows!? And most importantly, we'll get to see Li and Tomoyo's relationship expand even more as they help each other cope with the pain. Nothing romantic, though! We're just gonna see their friendship grow stronger, that's all. Now if I've done enough to regain your trust in me, let me know what you think so I can stop worrying and stop tearing down the wallpaper in my room. Thanks for the reviews! I'll be back soon!**_


End file.
